Japanese cuisine · Breakfast & Eggs

Kayaku Gohan

Seasoned rice from Osaka, cooked in dashi with fried tofu, carrot, shiitake and burdock root.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 300 g rice
• 450 ml dashi
• 2 sheets aburaage (fried tofu)
• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms (or 100 g fresh)
• 1 carrot
• 1 stalk gobo (burdock root, or salsify instead)
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp sake
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 spring onions

Instructions

1. Soak the dried shiitake in 150 ml lukewarm water for 20 min. (overnight is even better), then squeeze out, remove the stems and cut the caps into fine strips; keep the soaking water.
2. Wash the rice until the water runs clear and drain it in a sieve for 20 min.; pour boiling water over the aburaage to release the fat, squeeze out and cut into narrow strips.
3. Cut the carrot into fine matchsticks and peel the burdock root, shave it thinly on the diagonal and place the shavings in cold water for 5 min. so they don't discolor.
4. Stir rice, dashi, the strained shiitake water, soy sauce, mirin, sake and salt together in a heavy pot and spread the vegetables with the aburaage strips evenly on top without stirring them in.
5. Bring to a boil covered, then cook over the lowest heat for 13–15 min., until the liquid is fully absorbed and the pot bottom crackles softly.
6. Take the pot off the heat, let it steam covered for 10 min., loosen the rice gently with a wooden spatula and serve in bowls sprinkled with spring onion rings.