Today's Recipe

I. Japanese Rice

2. Mushroom Rice
(Kinoko Gohan)


　The autumn is mushroom season in most of the countries in the Northern hemisphere. Quite a few different kinds of mushrooms are available in Japan. It is a key to make this rice dish most flavorful to use a few different kinds of mushrooms together. Enjoy a taste of Japanese autumn.
For 4 servings
2+1/2 cups (600 ml) Japanese rice or short grain rice (kome)
300g fresh shiitake mushrooms (nama-shiitake) and other local mushrooms (maitake,shimeji, eringi,…)
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil (goma abura)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Approximately 2 cups (480 ml) Japanese no.1 stock (ichiban-dashi)
2 tablespoons Japanese rice wine (saké)
3 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce (shoyu)
1 carrot, thinly sliced and cut into shapes of autumnal leaves such as maple and gingko 
Boiling salt water to boil the carrot. 
  1. Wash the rice and drain in a colander.
  2. Trim roots off the mushrooms and slice them thinly.
  3. In a frying pan, heat the sesame oil and stir-fry the mushrooms. Sprinkle in the salt and mix. Drain the mushrooms through a colander to separate them from the juice. Reserve the juice.
  4. In a measuring cup, place the stock, mushroom juice, rice wine, and soy sauce to make up 2+1/2 cups (600ml) in all.
  5. In a thick pan, place the rice and stock mixture and stir lightly. Place the mushrooms atop the rice.
  6. Start cooking the rice over medium heat. When steam starts to rise in about 12-15 minutes, raise the heat to high for 1 minute. Turn down the heat to very low and simmer for 20 minutes. Raise the heat to very high for 10 seconds and turn it off. Insert paper towels between the pan and the lid to avoid the water to drop on the rice. Allow it stand for 20 minutes.
  7. Cook the carrot in the boiling salt water just until soft. Drain.
  8. Stir the rice and mushrooms and serve while hot with the carrot slices on top. 


Keiko　Hayashi