Kiritanpo

Half-pounded rice moulded round a skewer and grilled, then simmered in chicken broth.

Chicken. Not vegetarian — contains chicken, chicken broth.

Ingredients

the kiritanpo

• 800 g freshly cooked rice, hot
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• 6 thick wooden skewers

the pot

• 1.5 litres chicken broth
• 400 g chicken thigh, in pieces
• 200 g maitake mushrooms
• 1 burdock root, shaved
• 1 bunch seri or watercress
• 4 spring onions, in lengths
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sake

Method

1. HALF-POUNDED, NOT FULLY. The rice is beaten until roughly half the grains have broken and half are still whole. Pounded smooth it becomes mochi and dissolves in the broth; left as plain rice it falls off the skewer. That halfway state is the entire technique.
2. POUND IT HOT, straight from the pan, with a wet pestle or the end of a rolling pin. 2 to 3 minutes only.
3. You should still be able to see individual grains in the mass when you stop.
4. Salt worked through, then divide into six.
5. MOULD AROUND THE SKEWER WITH WET HANDS, pressing firmly into a cylinder about 20 cm long and 4 cm thick. Squeeze hard -- a loose one slides off in the grill.
6. Smooth the surface with wet fingers. A rough surface catches and tears.
7. GRILL DRY over a medium heat, turning often, 8 to 10 minutes, until pale gold and dry to the touch with brown patches. That crust is what holds it together in the broth.
8. Slide off the skewers and cut into 4 cm lengths at an angle.
9. Broth: chicken simmered 20 minutes with the soy and sake, then burdock and maitake for 10.
10. KIRITANPO IN FOR THE LAST 3 MINUTES ONLY. Longer and it swells, softens and begins thickening the pot. Greens in off the heat.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Japan · All recipes