Kansai (Osaka, Kyoto)
Ehōmaki
Fat sushi roll with simmered mushrooms, omelette and cucumber — eaten whole
60 min·4 servings
Kanpyo (dried gourd strips)
Dried, ribbon-like strips shaved from the flesh of the bottle gourd, soaked and cooked before use: neutral in flavour, soft and slightly chewy.
Kanpyo are thin strips peeled from the flesh of the bottle gourd and air-dried until they are pale, narrow and firm like raffia. Dry, they are hard and inedible; they are rubbed with salt, rinsed, soaked and boiled until soft and translucent. Their own flavour is very restrained, but they soak up a seasoned broth well, usually dashi, soy sauce, sugar and mirin, while keeping a pleasantly chewy bite. Cooked and seasoned, they are used above all as a filling in thick sushi rolls, and the strips also serve to tie up parcels of tofu skin or cabbage leaves. Kanpyo is sold dried in small bags at Asian grocers with a Japanese range or by mail order; ready-seasoned kanpyo is occasionally available in tins or vacuum packs.
Substitute:
There is no true equivalent, because hardly anything else has this chewy, ribbon-like bite with such a neutral flavour. In sushi rolls, shiitake strips simmered the same way can stand in; the filling becomes earthier and softer. For tying, blanched chives or strips of leek work, but they taste of onion and are less tear-resistant.
Used in · 1 recipe