Shalom Japan’s Lox Bowl
- Total Time
- 1¼ hours
- Rating
- Notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- ¾cup rice wine vinegar
- ¼cup granulated sugar
- 3tablespoons kosher salt
- 1(1-inch) square dried kombu (optional)
- 1large piece dried kombu (about 4-by-8 inches/20 grams)
- ¼cup soy sauce
- ¼cup mirin
- ¼cup granulated sugar
- ⅓cup mayonnaise, preferably Kewpie brand
- 1teaspoon Sriracha
- ½teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 2cups Japanese short-grain rice (about 14 ounces)
- 8 to 12ounces store-bought lox
- 1avocado, halved, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1small Japanese or Persian cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- ¼cup assorted Japanese pickles (optional)
- 2tablespoons drained capers
- 1packed cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 3scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced on the bias
- Ikura (salmon roe), optional
- ¼cup kizami nori (or sushi nori, cut into thin strips)
For the Sushi Zu
For the Sweet Kombu
For the Chile Mayo
For Serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
801 calories; 26 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 113 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 26 grams sugars; 23 grams protein; 2568 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Prepare the sushi zu: Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt and kombu (if using) in a pint-size plastic container. Stir to combine, put a lid on it, then let sit at room temperature before using. (The mixture mellows with time and is best prepared a few hours in advance.)
- Step 2
While the sushi zu sits, prepare the sweet kombu: Add the kombu to a medium saucepan and cover with water by a couple of inches. Bring to a boil over high. Once the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook until the kombu is tender, about 20 minutes.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, prepare the chile mayo: In a small bowl, stir together the mayo, Sriracha and vinegar. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Step 4
After the kombu has simmered until tender, drain it, pat it dry, then cut it into very thin, 1-inch-long strips. Return the kombu to the saucepan. Add the soy sauce, mirin and sugar, and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the liquid reduces slightly, about 5 minutes. Let cool, transfer kombu and liquid to a lidded container, and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
- Step 5
Prepare the rice: Place the rice in a medium bowl. Cover with several inches of cold water, swirl the rice vigorously using your hand, then pour off the cloudy water. Repeat two or three more times until the water still looks milky but is more transparent. Drain the rice and transfer to a medium pot with a tight-fitting lid. (A heavy-duty, enamel-coated cast-iron pot is ideal, because it distributes heat evenly.) Add 2 cups water, cover with the lid, and bring to a boil over high heat, which should take about 5 minutes. Once it boils, reduce the heat to low and cook for exactly 10 minutes. Turn the heat off, but do not remove the lid. Let sit, covered, for 10 minutes. (Alternately, you can cook the rice in a rice cooker according to manufacturer’s instructions.)
- Step 6
While the rice cooks, prep the garnishes and measure 6 tablespoons sushi zu. (Store the remaining sushi zu at room temperature for future use for up to 1 year.) As soon as the rice is cooked, dump it into a large mixing bowl and pour the 6 tablespoons sushi zu on top. Using a rice paddle or the back of a wooden spoon, gently break up the rice with a cutting and folding motion, delicately coating the grains with sushi zu.
- Step 7
Divide the rice evenly among four shallow bowls and cover it with an even layer of lox. Using a squeeze bottle, piping bag or a spoon, drizzle the chile mayo over the lox.
- Step 8
Arrange the selected garnishes in clockwise clusters: First, the avocado, then the sweet kombu, followed by the cucumbers and pickles. Sprinkle the capers and cilantro around the rim, and place the scallions in the center. Set the ikura (if using) in a nice mound next to the scallions, and sprinkle the nori on top.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
EmEl
We enjoyed this crazy mashup! I followed the recipe to a T and found the different textures and flavors very imaginative - the refreshing and crunchy cucumber in contrast to the soft, rich lox and avocado, and the combination of salty, sweet, hot and umami. The chili mayo is great. I added more sriracha and vinegar than called for to get more punch. Next time, however, I would leave out the capers. I love them in most dishes, but here I found them a little odd. Otherwise, a hit!
Juliet
From the photo, this looked very appealing to me, until I read the list of Japanese ingredients which I don't have and which won't be easy to find. I plan to make a simplified version: rice, avocado, cucumber, smoked salmon. It will be seasoned with a simple lemon vinaigrette, and garnished with chopped red onion, capers and cilantro. It will look just like the photo!
BZ
This is a cake on cheetah chirashi zushi, which translates more or less as "scattered sushi". It is a very typical way of serving sushi for dinner in a Japanese home. Usually the different ingredients are set out in bowls on the table, and everyone as but they want to their own bowl of rice. More or less the way my mom would do taco night in southern California when we were kids. I lived with three families over a 12-month period in Japan back in the 80s, and all three served this for dinner
Alice Jacobs
What is kombu and what can be its substitute?
Cooking in San Francisco
Family loved this. Will make again with two edits: 1) at least double the sriracha because 1 tsp gives color but no heat to the sauce, 2) omit the capers because the sharp salty-briny flavor felt out of place in this bowl. I made extra sushi zu and kombu strips so that it’s easier to assemble next time.
Mare
So good!!! We made vegan carrot lox & used vegan mayo for the sauce. Also probably tripled the cucumbers as we have so many in the garden.
Cari
This is my family's favorite dish, with just a few changes: no capers and twice as much sweet kombu and nori. Also, I always use gochujang to taste instead of sriracha in the mayo because I always have the former on hand. A high quality furikake sprinkled on the rice is also delicious, as is a small spoon of wasabi on the side. Even just as written, though, it is seriously yummy.
Phyllis in AL
I have fixed this several times for dinner. After the first time, I decided to combine steps one and two; not sure why they are separate sauces. Perfect dinner; I just scale back to making enough for 1-2 servings as needed.
Pat
This is a really great dish. Made it exactly as the recipe called for. Was initially concerned that so many flavors would be overwhelming or would be too "mushed" together, but it was just wonderful. We will have this again and again. Great luncheon dish. Can't wait to make this for friends.
Tiipiloo
As an additional mash-up, I made this for lunch over leftover Persian dill rice, which complemented the lox/cucumber/caper theme.
Cari
This is a family favorite--very often requested. We prefer it with the addition of dried shiitakes simmered ultimately like the kombu and sometimes substitute kimchi for the Japanese pickle and use furikake on the cooked rice. No capers. It's delicious!
CJ
This was very meditative to make. Lots of steps that are all simple. And it came out delicious! My kombu was a little tough - maybe I overcooked it. But I thoroughly enjoyed this meal! (also, left out the capers as others have suggested. Aside from the smoked salmon, there's not much else to give it that lox bagel feel, so they felt strange to add.)
Stacy
Delicious recipe! I’ve made this several times now and it is always so good. I do omit the capers because frankly, I don’t want that flavor in the dish. And I usually cut the sushi zu sauce in half as I don’t have any other uses for the leftover sauce. It’s a keeper!
Gracieanne
In step 4, do you discard the water after simmering?
gabby
Check to see if your rice vinegar says “seasoned rice vinegar” on the front. In this case it already has the salt and sugar added and is ready to be added to the sushi rice- you don’t need to mix it with more salt and sugar.
hobbychef
3/4/21 - made for us. Quite good, delicious. Next time a little less rice per person, more avocado, a little more sushi-zu. I added dill and cherry tomatoes cut in half because I didn't have Japanese pickles.
Valerie
I made it with regular short grain rice in a cast iron pot and the method did not work for that at all, I had to redo it 3 more times. Otherwise though I followed the recipe pretty close and it turned out delicious! Lots of steps but none of them difficult. I made the two sauces the day before. Also I used smoked salmon, and no pickles.
Moshe
This is called a “Lox Bowl,” but I have a strong suspicion the creators are actually thinking of *smoked salmon* and not lox, which would be too salty and dominant in this application.
Haudi
"Belly" lox is; Nova is not.
ML
Kombu is a thick dried seaweed that helps add a lot of flavors to broths. You can find Kombu and pretty much all these ingredients in a Whole Foods, if you have one near you.
Ann Guinan
Outrageously good. It was worth all the work.
Mare
So good!!! We made vegan carrot lox & used vegan mayo for the sauce. Also probably tripled the cucumbers as we have so many in the garden.
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