Takikomi Gohan (also known as Gomoku Gohan) literally translates to "cooked with rice". It's basically rice cooked in stock with stuff in it, like a pilaf. In Japanese groceries you'll usually find a whole section of instant packets that you just add to rice before you cook it, but they often contain loads of MSG. It's fairly simple to make from scratch and you can add all sorts of things like burdock, carrots, wild mushrooms, etc.
The key to it's light flavor is in the dashi, and while hard to find, Mitsuba adds a nice woodsy dimension. It does look a bit like parsley or cilantro but it doesn't taste anything like either of those. If I had to go out on a limb and suggest a substitute, it does taste a tiny bit like carrot leaves, if you're feeling daring, give it a go and let us know how it turns out in the comments. I'm pretty sure carrot leaves are a lot stronger though so you might wanna go light at first.
I strongly suggest you use a rice cooker to make this. While you could make this on the stove in theory, I'm so reliant on a rice cooker I'm not sure how much liquid to use or what heat to cook it over, so you're on your own there. If you've cooked rice on a stove before please do post your tips in the comments.
This recipe first appeared on norecipes.com but due to its age I've moved it here to my personal recipe archive. Check out the full No Recipes Archives for more older recipes, or check out some of my favorite recipes.
Units
Ingredients
- 360 ml rice short grain rinsed (2 cooker cups, or about 1 ½ regular cups)
- 1 tablespoon sake
- ¼ Cup crab meat canned crumbled , liquid reserved (see tofu with crab sauce for more info)
- 2 cups dashi stock , about
- ¼ Cup bamboo chopped (I prefer the whole vacuum sealed ones if you can find them)
- ¼ Cup nameko mushrooms chopped or enoki
- to taste Salt
- ¼ Cup mitsuba leaves and stems roughly chopped
- salmon roe as garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse the rice until the water runs almost clear, then drain as much of the water out as you can.
- Add the sake and reserved crab liquid. Fill the rice cooker bowl up to the "2" mark with dashi.
- Add the crab, bamboo, and mushrooms. Stir the liquid and taste for salt. It should taste like a slightly watery soup. Add more salt if needed.
- Run the rice cooker according to directions. When the rice is done and has had a chance to steam, add the mitsuba and gently fold into the cooked rice.
- Garnish with salmon roe and serve immediately.
Comments
No Comments