Sushi Bake

Season the rice while it is still warm, because cold rice does not take up the vinegar and dries in the oven. Press the layer to about 1.5 cm; thicker heats unevenly, thinner dries out around the rim. Fifteen minutes at 200°C is enough to heat the topping through, and another ten will turn the edge to rusk. If you assembled it earlier, cover with foil and take it off for the last five minutes.

Kewpie is made with egg yolks only and rice vinegar, which is where its body and faint sweetness come from. The closest stand-in is 4 tbsp regular mayonnaise with 1 tsp sugar and half a teaspoon of rice vinegar, stirred smooth. Avoid light mayonnaise, which splits in the heat and leaves the topping watery. Without mayonnaise altogether the topping bakes dry, since it is what binds the crab and cream cheese.

Yes, and plenty of home versions use fish instead. Take 250 g of poached or baked salmon broken into flakes, or canned tuna in water, well drained. Prawns work too, but chop them small or the topping falls apart when you scoop it. The rest of the quantities stay as they are. For another salmon-and-rice dish, try Crispy Rice with Spicy Salmon.

You eat it with your hands: scoop the hot mixture onto a square of nori and roll it like a hand roll. Cut the nori into roughly 8 cm squares in advance and serve them alongside, since sheets left on the dish go soggy. Pickled ginger, cucumber and avocado all suit it and cut through the richness. Soy sauce is usually unnecessary, as the seasoned rice and furikake carry enough salt.

Yes, and that is what makes it useful for a crowd. Assemble the dish completely, cover it with film and keep it refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Let it stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before baking, or the cold centre will not heat through in fifteen minutes. Do not bake it in advance: rice that has cooled and been reheated goes firm.