PROJECT Takikomi Gohan

Sep 4, 2023 | Kitchen PROJECTS, Year-Round

PROJECT TAKIKOMI GOHAN

Takikomi-style rice dishes are cooked in a flavorful stock extracted from the ingredient being featured (in this case, MUSHROOMS). Takikomi rice is truly a delicious way to enjoy seasonal bounty.

Download a recipe for KINOKO GOHAN to get started.

It does, however, take an hour or more from start (stock-making) to finish (serving the flavor-packed, fully cooked rice). That’s not practical for most people on a busy weeknight. Thankfully, though, there are several points at which the flow of activity can be temporarily suspended… and easily resumed.

  • FIRST… prepare standard stock or a vegan stock from kelp and dried shiitake mushroom stems ahead. The mushroom-infused broth used in this recipe can be prepared several days ahead and refrigerated in a glass (or other non-reactive) container. The delicate woodsy aroma however, gets lost when frozen.
  • NEXT… wash and drain rice. Washing rice removes excess starch that otherwise creates a barrier to flavor transfer. Allow the rice to drain for at least 10 minutes before cooking; you’ll notice the translucent rice becomes opaque. Once it does, place the rice in your pot or bowl of your rice cooker and add stock.
  • THEN… cook. Using an appliance with a timer feature means you add stock to rice in the morning before leaving the house (and set the timer to finish cooking that evening). Or, if making obentō lunch boxes, set your rice cooker at night to have rice ready when you wake up the following morning.

To celebrate the year’s rice harvest in your own kitchen, seek out shin mai new crop rice in a market near you. Japanese-style short or medium-grained rice is preferable because it absorbs cooking flavors well; many are grown in California, Texas and other areas of the United States and in Europe, too. New crop rice requires slightly less liquid to cook (each grain contains more moisture) than stored-from-the-previous-year rice. Adjust accordingly in your kitchen.

 

Learn about Kakashi Guarding the Fields by visiting my Kitchen Culture blog.

Read my September 2023 newsletter.

PROJECT Tsutsumu

PROJECT Tsutsumu

Wrapped foods are varied. Sometimes parchment or foil is used to enclose foods before they are cooked. Other times the wrappers are edible making pop-in-your-mouth savory packets. Below, two examples for you to try in your kitchen. Enjoy!包み蒸し Archaeological evidence...

Escape the Lingering Heat

Escape the Lingering Heat

The ancient, lunar-based koyomi almanac marks the start of autumn with risshū 立秋. When hot weather continues beyond that time, the phenomenon is referred to as zansho 残暑, literally "lingering heat." On the Gregorian calendar, this year (2025) risshū arrived on August...

PROJECT Crunchy, Spicy Cucumbers

PROJECT Crunchy, Spicy Cucumbers

The catergory of foods known as tsukémono runs the gamut from sokuseki ("impatient") and asazuké (lightly pickled) to furuzuké (literally "old" or overly pickled) foods that are intensely-flavored and/or deeply fermented. There are dozens of kinds of cucumber...

PROJECT: Ika Yaki

PROJECT: Ika Yaki

Gingery griddle-seared squid, IKA YAKI イカ焼き is a favorite summer festival food sold thoughout Japan at yatai food stalls. Visit the Summer Festival Food: YATAI post for more information about summer festivals and the food sold at yatai stalls. This Kitchen PROJECT is...

Recent Posts & Projects