Just chop and cook, for a holiday lunch. Burdock and bacon pilaf

| The word "pilaf" alone makes me excited

Do you make takikomi gohan (seasoned rice)?
In our house, we usually have white rice mixed with millet or foxtail millet, but when we occasionally make takikomi gohan, it somehow feels like a special treat, doesn't it?

Some of you might wonder, "If you're health-conscious, why not brown rice or partially milled rice?" but since my stomach isn't naturally strong, I arrived at the white rice plus millet combination to avoid putting a strain on my body.

I remember when I was a child, I would get so excited when my grandmother made chameshi (tea-flavored rice), and I would look forward to the days when takikomi gohan was on the school lunch menu.
What's more, just hearing the word "pilaf" makes me feel excited.

| Ingredients

1 cup rice
180ml water
40g burdock root (cut into 1cm cubes, soaked in water)
30g bacon (cut into 1cm cubes)
40g onion (finely chopped)
1 tbsp shio koji (salted rice malt)
1 tsp olive oil
Parsley to taste

| How to make

In an earthenware pot or rice cooker, add 1 cup of rice, 180ml of water, 40g of cubed burdock root soaked in water, 30g of cubed bacon, 40g of finely chopped onion, 1 tbsp of shio koji, and 1 tsp of olive oil
and cook as usual. For our earthenware pot, I heat it over medium heat, and once it boils, I turn it to low heat for 5 minutes. Then, I let it steam for 20 minutes.

Serve on a plate and sprinkle with parsley.
Just by serving it on a plate instead of a rice bowl, "everyday rice" suddenly feels much more like a holiday meal.

The atmosphere changes completely between a white plate and a black plate.
Takikomi gohan made with shio koji is delicious even when cold, so it's also great for bento boxes.

By the way, the pot we love to use in our home specifically for cooking rice is the "Kamoshika Doguten Rice Pot".

It was a housewarming gift I received five years ago, and its rounded shape is so cute that I've been using it with great care.

▼ Also recommended: "No dashi needed. 'Yellowtail takikomi gohan' is twice as delicious as grilled rice ball ochazuke"

▼ Also recommended: "Takikomi gohan with just chicken and ginger. By perfecting simplicity, it tasted three times better."

| Recipe index by ingredient for fermented seasonings and seasonal dishes

Thank you for reading this far.

If anyone decides to make this, it would be a great encouragement if you could let me know in the comments or on Instagram.

I have created a recipe index by ingredient for fermented seasonings and seasonal dishes. I hope it helps with your cooking today.