Rice is the staple food in Japan, and there are various kinds of cuisine using rice such as Sushi, Onigiri (rice ball), Zosui (porridge), Donburi (rice bowl), Ochazuke (rice with tea or broth poured over it), curry rice, etc.. and seasoned rice.
The recipe of seasoned rice is quite simple, but it tastes really good. That’s why it is a representative homemade dish in Japan. It is popular among all ages and easy to cook, which helps moms who are busy with housework and nursing.
Seasoned rice is not just a homemade dish. It is also served at high-class restaurants. Seasoned rice cooked with seasonal ingredients fascinates gourmets.
We would like to show you a recipe of seasoned rice!
Any ingredients can be good for seasoned rice!
We will show you a recipe of Sweet Potato Seasoned Rice, which is one of the most basic and simple seasoned rice, and the recipe can be applied to other seasoned rice.
In general, electronic rice cookers are used at home. However, among those who are particular about how to cook rice, Donabe is commonly used. Especially these days, Donabe is getting more and more attention.
We use a Donabe named “Kamado-san”, which is the best for cooking seasoned rice.
How to Cook Seasoned Rice
You can use your favorite ingredients. Common and popular ingredients are chicken leg (chopped into 1 cm), shredded carrot, quarter sliced Japanese white radish, thin burdock, and mushrooms seasoned with soy sauce. This time we only use sweet potato, rice, and seasonings.
Ingredients（2 to 3 servings)
- 300g of rice
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 7g of salt
Cooking Steps
First, wash rice. It is recommended to use Japanese rice (Sushi Rice, etc.) or rice with more moisture and stickiness. If you can’t get Japanese rice, use short grain rice.
Put rice in a bowl and pour water to wash it. You don’t need to rub rice. Just stir it gently, and pour off the water. Repeat this until the water no longer becomes cloudy. Then, put rice into a Donabe and soak it in the same amount of water for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, add diced sweet potatoes (1 to 1.5 cm) and salt, boil it over high heat. When steam vigorously comes out of Donabe, turn down the heat to low and wait for 10 to 12 minutes.
Then turn the heat high again for 30 seconds, and turn off the heat. Let the rice steam in remaining heat for another 10 minutes before it gets ready to eat.
Use & Care
Right after each use, wash and dry the Donabe in shade. Exposure to direct sunlight may cause crack.
Also, high humidity may cause mold. If you have concerns, it is recommended wrap the Donabe in newspaper (body and lid separately) before storage.
Donabe is very useful to cook rice or Japanese hot pot as well as to make distinctively delicious seasoned rice. Why don’t you enjoy a Japanese traditional cuisine cooked with Donabe?
