Setsubun and How You Can Celebrate it Too (Includes Sushi Recipe and Instructions)

Today (February 3rd) is Setsubun! I'm already there (I'm from the future) but in a few hours time will catch up with you westerners and it will be the day to celebrate this seriously underappreciated festival!

Setsubun is fun. It's not a national holiday, it's just fun! The things you do on Setsubun are fun. It is a time for fun and I hope by now you've gotten the point that it's just loads of fun.

So what does one do on Setsubun?

Mostly throw soybeans at demons.

Yes, you read that right.

Stores are packed with these packs of roasted soybeans (called fukumame, or "fortune beans"). Most of them come with a paper mask of a demon (oni in Japanese). This mask is important. Some poor soul has to put on the mask, and everyone else throws the beans at them. Yes, you read that right.

This practice is called mamemaki and you can do it at home or at a local shrine. There's even this awesome chant to recite while you pelt that demon with soybeans. "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" (Demons out! Fortune in!) Needless to say, this is lots of fun. That's the casting out bad luck part. You also bring good luck in by eating the roasted soybeans, but that part is slightly less fun than throwing them.

And then there's the customary food, which just so happens to be sushi.

But not just any sushi! This is the one time of year where it is common to eat sushi rolls instead of traditional nigiri, called futomaki (literally "fat rolls"). Not only that, but they are uncut. Yes, once a year you get to eat a sushi roll burrito style. This is so, SO MUCH FUN.

 Look how fancy that thing is! And also, note at the bottom of the picture how many were left when I went shopping at 10 A.M. I guess they sell like hotcakes!

The traditional name is eho-maki, which means "lucky direction roll", and there are a few rules for how you eat it. First, you need to eat it facing the direction of the year. This year, because it's the year of the chicken, it's North-Northwest. It's a zodiac thing. And it's fun.

I guess next year is true north!

Then, from the time you take the first bite until your roll is completely consumed, you can't say a word. If you do, then it's bad luck. This is fun because getting other people to try to talk while facing one direction and stuffing sushi in your mouth is really fun.

So those are the instructions for how to have a fun, basic Setsubun at home. Now, let me show you how to make a futomaki.

The first Setsubun I celebrated was in college. We made this exact recipe and had an amazing time making (and eating) sushi.

Here's the recipe:

- Nori (seaweed sheets)

- Calrose rice, cooked (or another variety of asian rice. It MUST be sticky rice. You can order a tub of chinese take-out rice, that works too.)

- Vinegar (white or rice)

- Sugar

- Eggs

- Cucumber

- Napa Cabbage 

- Canned tuna

- Mayonnaise

- Artificial crab meat (the sticks work perfectly)

First, you need the sushi rice.

Now sushi rice is an art that people spend their lives trying to perfect, but do not despair. You can still make perfectly delicious rice as an amateur. Transfer your cooked rice to a bowl and get out your regular white vinegar (or rice vinegar if you are fancy) and white sugar. The su in sushi means "vinegar"! Sushi rice is just rice lightly seasoned with vinegar and sugar (more of the former than the latter). Add vinegar, one capfull at a time, mix and repeat until you can just taste a hint of it in the rice. The key is lightly seasoned rice. Add a few pinches of sugar to taste. It's easiest to mix with a spatula or a rice paddle, something with a wide, flat surface. The rice should be pretty sticky by the time you're done with it (if you used non-Japanese rice, this will not happen and you will have immediate regrets).

Next you spread the rice over the seaweed sheet. This is kind of tricky but no matter how bad it looks, it will still taste good. Use a spatula or rice paddle, or your fingers (which is what I personally prefer), and the key is to spread, not pack the rice. Seaweed has two sides, one slightly shinier than the other. Spread the rice on the NOT shiny side. The not-shiny side is rougher and that helps in the spreading of the rice. Don't go overboard on the rice or it will overpower the goodies you're going to roll up. Also, your roll will be more aesthetically pleasing if you spread the rice very evenly (it will look smoother once rolled).

Now for the goodies.

The key here is strips. Everything should be prepared in strips. When you buy a Setsubun sushi kit here in Japan, it looks like this:

Do thou likewise.

Sushi eggs are slightly sweet. Add a pinch or two of white sugar to beaten eggs. Fry them omelette-style (the fatter the better) in an oiled pan and cut into strips. (It's not traditional to add milk like we do for scrambled eggs. Just stick with eggs and sugar).

Peel the cucumber and cut it lengthwise into strips. Napa cabbage doesn't "strip" so well, so just tear off the leafiest parts and cut off the stocks that are too thick (the not-tasty parts).

Mix the canned tuna with mayo like you're making tuna salad. If you bought the strip-type artificial crab, you're good to go, if you bought the flake type, you can go ahead and mix it in with the tuna. If you want your fill of raw fish, you can buy a filet of tuna and cut it into long strips. But canned is cheaper.

Once you have all your ingredients assembled, just lay them out in the center of your rice-covered seaweed. From there, you just have to roll it! You don't have to use a sushi mat but you can. Go slowly. You can do it!

If you're using a mat, this graphic might be useful.

And your results will be tasty. Remember, for maximum authenticity, do not cut your roll and eat it in silence while facing north-northwest.

Happy Setsubun everybody!