Mehari-zushi (めはり寿司, Kishu takana wrap)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Rice paddle (shamoji), or a broad wooden spoon
• •Small bowl of water for shaping rice
• •Clean kitchen towel or paper towels for drying the takana

Instructions

1. 1

   Taste the takana

   Unfold the takana leaves and taste a small piece from the edge. If it is sharply salty, rinse the leaves briefly under cool water, then squeeze them gently and pat dry. If it tastes pleasantly pickled, leave it alone. This first taste decides the dish, because the leaf is the seasoning for the rice.

   Do not soak automatically. Some takana-zuke is already mild, and soaking a good leaf until it tastes of nothing is a small tragedy in a bowl.
2. 2

   Season the leaves

   Mix the soy sauce, mirin, and sugar if using until the sugar dissolves. Brush or rub this lightly over both sides of the leaves, then let them sit for five minutes. The soy deepens the pickle, the mirin softens its edge, and the short rest lets the leaf season evenly without becoming wet and slippery.

3. 3

   Chop the stems

   Cut the thick stems away from the leaves and chop the stems finely. Keep the leaves whole for wrapping. The stems are stronger and crunchier than the leaf, so they belong inside the rice in small pieces, where they season every bite instead of fighting the wrapper.

4. 4

   Mix the rice

   Put the warm rice in a bowl and fold in the chopped takana stems, sesame seeds, and ginger if using. Use a rice paddle with cutting motions rather than mashing. Warm rice takes the seasoning in and stays glossy; crushed rice turns heavy and pasty.

5. 5

   Shape the balls

   Wet your hands lightly and shape the rice into six firm oval balls, each about the size of a small orange. Press just enough that each one holds together. Too loose and the wrapper has to do all the work; too tight and the rice loses the softness that makes this plain dish good.

6. 6

   Wrap with takana

   Lay one takana leaf flat, smoother side down, with the tip pointing away from you. Set a rice ball near the stem end, fold the sides over, then roll it up snugly so the leaf covers the rice. Trim any ragged excess and tuck the seam underneath. The wrap should be close, not strangled, because the rice will settle as it rests.

7. 7

   Rest and serve

   Let the wrapped rice balls rest seam-side down for ten minutes before serving. That short rest lets the leaf cling to the rice and lets the salt move inward. Serve at room temperature, never cold from the refrigerator, because chilled rice hardens and loses its gentle sweetness.

Chef Tips

• •Look for takana-zuke with whole broad leaves, not only chopped pickles. The whole leaf is the dish. Chopped takana can season rice, but it cannot make mehari-zushi.
• •If your leaves are small, overlap two leaves slightly and wrap one smaller rice ball. That is a sensible stand-in. Calling a loose pile of rice and pickles the same dish would be asking too much of a name.
• •Use warm rice, not hot rice. Hot rice makes the pickled leaf limp and wet; warm rice accepts the seasoning and keeps its shape.
• •For a stronger Kishu style, brush the finished wraps with a few drops of soy sauce just before serving. Stop there. The charm is in the takana and rice, with nothing heavy poured over it.

Advance Preparation

• •The takana leaves can be rinsed, dried, and lightly seasoned up to one day ahead; keep them covered in the refrigerator.
• •Shape and wrap mehari-zushi up to 4 hours ahead and keep it covered at cool room temperature. If refrigeration is necessary, bring it back toward room temperature before eating so the rice softens again.
• •For packing, wrap each rice ball in parchment or place them seam-side down in a bento box with a little space between them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 115g)