My Obsession with Takikomi Gohan (Seasoned Rice)
My mother loved takikomi gohan.
As for me,
I wasn't very fond of it when I was a child because I was a picky eater...
When I had an eating disorder, I was just happy that the amount of rice decreased because of the added ingredients.
But now, I love takikomi gohan.
In spring, there are bamboo shoots, green peas, firefly squid, and clams.
In summer, there is corn, tomatoes, and young ginger.
In autumn, there are chestnuts, sweet potatoes, peanuts, ginkgo nuts, and mukago (yam bulbils).
In winter, there are oysters and burdock root...
It has a sense of the seasons, and it's a feast for the eyes too.
Today, I would like to write about such takikomi gohan.
My Rules for Takikomi Gohan
Basically, for seasonings,
I only use salt and soy sauce.
Since I often cook with ingredients that have umami, I don't add much kombu either.
I sometimes use sake or mirin.
I might increase the amount depending on the ingredients I'm cooking with, but
per 1 go (approx. 150g) of rice,
I add 1g for salt-based, or 1 tablespoon for soy sauce-based.
Other than that, I sometimes add spices depending on my mood.
Takikomi gohan,
the aroma when it finishes cooking is also wonderful, isn't it?
Now that I'm getting hungry... I'd like to introduce some of my favorite takikomi gohan recipes.
Spring Takikomi Gohan
▶︎ Bamboo Shoot Rice (A Twist)
[Ingredients]
Rice
Soy sauce
Star anise, five-spice powder, turmeric (a little of each)
Bamboo shoots (pre-boiled to remove bitterness)
[Instructions]
① Remove the bitterness from the bamboo shoots the day before.
Even without rice bran or chili peppers,
just boiling them thoroughly with salt and letting them sit overnight is fine.
② Wash the rice and adjust the water level including the soy sauce.
③ Add a piece of star anise, and a little bit of five-spice powder and turmeric
each.
④ Place the bamboo shoots cut into bite-sized pieces on top, then cook while trapping the aroma.
✴︎ I bet it would be delicious if you mixed in some glutinous rice too.
▶︎ Green Pea Rice
[Ingredients]
Rice
Salt
Green peas
[Instructions]
① Shell the green peas.
(The skins get tough quickly once shelled, so I recommend buying them in the pod.)
② Wash the rice and adjust the water level. Add salt.
③ Place the green peas on top and cook.
✴︎ I like this method of cooking the peas directly because it intensifies their flavor. If they are pesticide-free, adding the pods while cooking makes it even more fragrant.
Summer Takikomi Gohan
▶︎ Corn Rice
[Ingredients]
Rice
Salt
Corn (use the cob as well)
[Instructions]
① Shave the kernels off the corn with a knife.
② Wash the rice, adjust the water level, and add salt.
③ Add the corn kernels to ②,
and place the shaved cob on top. Cook.
④ Remove the cob to a plate, and mix gently as if cutting into the rice.
(The kernels left on the cob are delicious too, so please gnaw on them.)
I made this every year at the school, and it was well-received.
✴︎ This is a classic recipe I've been making for years. It's also delicious to mix in some brown rice and serve it with curry.
▶︎ Tomato Rice
[Ingredients]
Rice
Tomato (medium to large)
Salt
Shiso (perilla)
[Instructions]
① Cut the tomato into small bite-sized pieces and put them in a bowl.
② Add salt to ① according to the amount of rice (1g for 1 go) and mix lightly.
③ Wash the rice.
④ Adjust the water level for the rice, including the moisture from the tomatoes in ②.
Finally, place the tomato pieces on top and cook gently.
(Adjusting the water is tricky, but it's easier to succeed if you aim for slightly less water.)
⑤ Top with chopped shiso.
✴︎This might be my favorite way to eat tomatoes. I also love eating it with bitter melon stir-fried in white miso.
Autumn Takikomi Gohan
▶︎Chestnut Rice
[Ingredients]
Rice
Salt koji
Raw chestnuts
[Instructions]
① Work hard to peel the raw chestnuts.
② Wash the rice and adjust the water level. Add the salt koji.
③ Place the peeled chestnuts on top and cook.
✴︎Salt is fine, but I feel like salt koji makes the color of the chestnuts more vibrant. It's a lot of work to make, but every time I do, I think it was worth it.
▶︎Peanut Rice (A unique variety)
[Ingredients]
Rice
Raw peanuts
Soy sauce
Star anise
[Instructions]
① Boil the peanuts thoroughly in salted water.
Remove the nuts from the shells. (Snacking on them while doing this is fun, haha)
② Wash the rice and adjust the water level, including the soy sauce.
③ Place one piece of star anise and the peeled peanuts from step ① on top and cook.
✴︎I love peanuts so much that I can't stop tasting them, haha. Before the season when flu and other colds go around, star anise also boosts your immune system. It pairs perfectly with peanuts too.
Winter Takikomi Gohan
▶︎Burdock Root Only Rice
[Ingredients]
Rice
Soy sauce
Burdock root
Ghee (or sesame oil)
[Instructions]
① Scrape the dirt off the burdock root with the back of a knife and slice into rounds. (Shaved burdock is fine too, but I like to feel the texture.)
② Wash the rice and adjust the water level, including the soy sauce.
③ Place the burdock root from step ① on top and cook.
④ Drizzle with ghee after it finishes cooking.
✴︎Chicken and burdock is delicious, but I also love the aroma of just burdock. Drizzling it with ghee at the end makes it exquisite, and it feels like a self-care meal that might soothe the vata that rises in winter.
The Infinite Possibilities of Takikomi Gohan
Just fried tofu is delicious,
Pea rice is also delicious,
Of course, mushrooms are delicious too,
Cooking it with pickled plums is refreshing,
Sweet potatoes and taro are also very satisfying...
The recipes for Takikomi Gohan
make me excited because it feels like delicious ones will be born infinitely.
There is a joy in cooking different ingredients according to the season and my mood.
Every time I stuff my cheeks with rice, happiness spreads.
By the way,
I am now like my mother back then, unable to stop going for seconds ( ◠‿◠ )🍚
(It's not that I'm happy to reduce the rice, but that I'm happy to be able to eat delicious rice heartily!!!)
I want to keep eating delicious rice in the future,
and I hope the four seasons never disappear from Japan...
Thank you for reading today as well.
I would be happy if someone's heart felt even a little lighter.
[ Like♡ It encourages me ]