Humble, pan-layered sushi feels and tastes like home

Hawaii really does have its own genre of old-school, home-style cooking with Japanese-influenced themes. Recipes I’ve encountered from local cooks swap the cream of mushroom soup-laden casserole for soy sauce, furikake and kamaboko-style dishes.

These recipes are passed on like prized dinner dishes, but they couldn’t be humbler. There’s no pretentiousness in baked shoyu chicken or butter mochi — just a promise that it’s ono. Measurements are almost optional; I’ve had more than one recipe simply list “one whole chicken,” when I know that can vary by as much as 10 pounds.

At our house my mom often made sushi. She was fastidious about how the rice was cooked and had me wash the grains until the water was just short of clear, then she would pull it from the cooker when the rice was tender.

My job was to fan the rice as she mixed in the vinegar and sugar. She would get mad if I slowed down, because the sushi would get ruined somehow if it didn’t cool properly during the process.

Whenever I smell sushi vinegar it sends me back in time, and I crave that sweet, acidic flavor.

The pan-layered sushi is an intriguing concept: layers of sushi rice and a mix of toppings in its own kind of house-specialty flavor. Common toppings include canned tuna, furikake, nametake mushrooms and, often, mayonnaise.

I wondered if this dish originated in Hawaii; my research unveiled solely Hawaii roots. I think this is the true Hawaii casserole dish. It’s easier than rolling sushi, and it keeps seaweed crisp longer, especially when it’s humid out.

I read one recipe that called for a broiled topping and immediately wanted to include these casseroles in my nostalgia files.

All of the flavors of pan sushi are essentially part of my childhood, and for that reason they feel like home to me.

Pan Layered Sushi with Broiled Topping

» 3 cups uncooked sushi rice
» 1/2 cup rice vinegar
» 1/2 cup sugar
» 1 teaspoon salt
» 1/2 cup furikake
» 2 packages imitation crab meat
» 1 cup sour cream
» 1 cup mayonnaise
» 2 to 3 ripe avocados

Cook sushi rice, then place in large bowl. In small bowl, whisk vinegar, sugar and salt. Pour liquid over rice and, turning bowl, fold rice with paddle repeatedly until liquid is absorbed and rice feels sticky again. It’s best if someone fans rice during this process, but you can periodically fan it yourself. Taste and make sure flavor is right — add more sugar or vinegar to taste.

Turn on broiler to high and place rack in top position. Put seasoned rice into 9-by-13-inch casserole pan and press it in evenly with spatula. Sprinkle rice with furikake.

Shred imitation crab with two forks and combine with mayo and sour cream. Spread mixture over rice in an even layer. Place pan in oven and broil about 10 minutes until browned.

Slice avocado and layer over the top. Cut into rectangles. Serve with Korean seaweed. Makes 1 9-by-13-inch pan sushi.

Approximate nutritional information (based on 16 servings): 370 calories, 18 g fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 500 mg sodium, 47 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 9 g sugar, 6 g protein

Mariko Jackson blogs at thelittlefoodie.com.