Takikomi Gohan
A deeply aromatic, rustic Japanese mixed rice dish. Short-grain white rice is cooked directly in a savory dashi, soy, and sake broth along with a bounty of seasonal root vegetables, mushrooms, and chicken. The rice on the bottom caramelizes into a prized crispy crust (Okoge).
Ingredients
- 2 cups Short-grain white rice washed and drained
- 1/4 lb Chicken thighs cut into very small pieces
- 1/2 Carrot julienned
- 1/2 cup Burdock root Renkon, thinly sliced
- 2 fresh Shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 1 piece Abura-age fried tofu pouch, sliced
- 1.5 cups Dashi stock
- 2 tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Sake
- 1 tbsp Mirin
Instructions
- Prepare the Ingredients: Wash the rice until the water runs clear and drain it thoroughly in a sieve for 15 minutes. Pour boiling water over the Abura-age to remove excess oil, then slice it thinly. Cut the chicken and vegetables uniformly so they cook evenly.
- Assemble the Rice Cooker: Place the drained white rice into the bowl of a rice cooker or a heavy-bottomed pot. Pour the dashi stock, soy sauce, sake, and mirin over the rice. Stir gently so the liquids mix with the rice.
- Layer the Toppings: Place the chicken, sliced mushrooms, carrot, burdock root, and Abura-age evenly on top of the rice. Crucial step: Do NOT stir the ingredients into the rice! Leaving them on top ensures the rice cooks perfectly.
- Cook the Rice: Cook the rice using the standard setting on your rice cooker. If using a pot, bring to a boil, turn down to the lowest heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Let it steam covered for 10 minutes.
- Fluff and Serve: Open the lid. Use a rice paddle to deeply and gently fold the savory toppings into the steaming rice. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to distribute the deeply savory, caramelized, crispy rice bits (Okoge). Serve hot.
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