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Hasumushi
Hasumushi — steamed grated lotus root with white fish
Grated Kaga lotus root is mixed with white fish or shrimp and steamed — the root's high starch content is said to bind the mixture without egg or starch, giving a mochi-like chew finished with a glossy sauce.
- Origin: Ishikawa Kanazawa
- About 300 km west of Tokyo
What it's made of
Grated lotus root mixed with white fish and shrimp, then steamed. The root's naturally strong, sticky quality is what defines the dish, holding its shape without any binder and turning almost custard-like once in the mouth. A sauce poured over the top gently ties everything together, and combined with the fish's faint sweetness it takes on a refined flavor.
How it's made
Grated lotus root is mixed with white fish and shrimp, then steamed. Its high starch content usually means no binder is needed, though depending on the harvest season or growing area, egg white or potato starch may be added to help bind it. Some serve it with a touch of wasabi, or swap the fish and shrimp for eel or chicken.
Why it took this shape
A lotus root variety with short nodes and thick flesh at the tip, cultivated since the feudal era and grown mainly on reclaimed wetland, is said to form the base of this dish. Steaming was chosen as a way to make the most of the root's strong stickiness once grated, and the practice of using an ingredient whose hollow shape is treated as a good omen is said to have taken root over generations.
Before you go
- How to shop at a supermarketHow to choose prepared foods, sashimi, and packaged sushi, when discount stickers tend to appear, region-only specialties, buying by weight, the checkout and bagging flow, and sampling etiquette at a local supermarket.
- Osechi and zoni for the New YearA guide to the meaning behind osechi's tiered boxes, the regional differences in zoni (square vs. round mochi, clear vs. miso broth), and the nanakusa-gayu custom.
- Setsubun: ehomaki and lucky beansA guide to ehomaki, the uncut sushi roll said to be eaten facing a lucky direction on Setsubun, and to mamemaki, the bean-throwing custom with roasted lucky beans.
Dishes in the same style
- Agonoko UmaniThe roe of egg-bearing flying fish, caught only in early summer, is simmered in stock and soy sauce as an Oki bar snack. Its large grains and dense, sticky texture are prized as a delicacy said to be scarcer even than the fish's flesh.
- Funa MisoCrucian carp is simmered slowly with soybeans for around five hours, then finished in a sauce of red miso and coarse sugar. A freshwater fish dish of the Kiso rivers' lower basin, made with fatty winter carp simmered until the bones soften through.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Contrast
- JibuniDuck coated in wheat flour, wheat-gluten cakes, and seasonal vegetables are simmered until the broth thickens — said to have been served as far back as the Edo period, with a dab of wasabi cutting through the duck's richness.
- Tai no KaramushiSea bream, split along the back, is stuffed with okara simmered with carrot and burdock, then steamed — a Kaga banquet dish said to have been prepared by the groom's family from fish the bride brought, the pair plated belly to belly for a wedding feast.
Also from Ishikawa
- AimazeRoot vegetables from Noto's reddish soil are cut into thin strips and simmered with fried tofu — traditionally made ahead for New Year and other special days, with the choice of vegetables shifting from village to village.
- Beka NabeSardines pickled in rice bran are simmered with napa cabbage, mushrooms, and sake lees in this Noto winter hot pot, said to descend from a preservation method from before refrigeration — its name reputedly a nod to how commonly the cheap fish was eaten.
- Daikon-zushiA fermented sushi from the Kaga region layering daikon radish with dried herring in rice koji. Said to have taken root once herring carried by the Kitamae trading ships reached ordinary tables, it now sits alongside kaburazushi as a New Year staple.
- EbisuMelted agar is mixed with beaten egg, sugar, and soy sauce, then set — said to trace back to an egg-and-agar dish recorded in an Edo-period cookbook, nicknamed "berobero" for its glossy, slippery look, and served on festive occasions.
- Goshiki NamagashiFive kinds of mochi and buns, each representing sun, moon, mountain, sea, and village, are arranged in a lidded box — a Kanazawa wedding confection said to trace back to a gift prepared for a Kaga domain bride, still handed out as a return gift at celebrations.
- UFO RamenA bowl from Hakui, Ishikawa, a town known for its UFO-sighting lore, served under the local Hakui UFO Gourmet banner. Sushi shops and Western-style diners alike top a soy-based broth with saucer-shaped garnishes, each putting its own spin on the town's story.