Takikomi-gohan

[Hiroyuki]

Sorry, I didn't make takikomi gohan that week. We had a record level of snow for December in our area (171 cm as of yesterday); I had to devote all my spare time to snow clearance, melting, removal, and so on and I was in no mood for making any decent dish. Maybe some other time...

[JasonTrue]

Tonight we finally got around to making takikomi-gohan in my donabe.

This was hijiki, aburage, ninjin, and saya-endo; the snow peas were blanched and added after the rest was done. It was a little light on the seasoning, but had a good fresh taste and was complemented by our stash of zasai pickles and umeboshi.

(blog entry)

[OnigiriFB]

After all the christmas food of the past couple of week I needed some rice. But all I had in my fridge was some leftover bamboo shoots and some mushrooms about to go bad. I remembered this thread and threw them in the rice pot with some soy sauce, mirin, and shiaxing cooking wine. Talk about delicious! I loved it and I'm definetely going to try this again. Hopefully I can pick up some aburage and hijiki at my asian market soon. Thanks for such a great thread. I'll upload a picture as soon as I get them uploaded to the computer! Wonderful stuff!

[Hiroyuki]

3 gou (540 cc) regular rice (1 gou = 180 cc)

1 pack hiratake mushrooms (buna shimeji or maitake mushrooms)

1/2 carrot

1 aburaage

45 cc soy sauce

30 cc sake

5 cc mirin

1. Wash rice and leave it in a sieve for at least half an hour.

2. Rinse hiratake mushrooms and drain.

3. Finely cut carrot.

4. Cut aburaage horizontally into two parts and then cut them vertically into pieces of about 5 mm (1/5 inch) in width.

5. Put rice in a rice cooker and add soy sauce, sake, and mirin.

6. Add hiratake, carrot, and aburaage.

7. Add water up to the 3-gou level and stir the ingredients.

8. Turn on the cooker.

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i basically didnt really want to wait around to make my first batch and so i made this today with a pack of bunashimeji. followed the recipe exactly. the smell coming out of the rice cooker was positively wonderful. you know how the smell of rice cooking can be so, so, so good? it was just like that, but with a new twist. i think it was the addition of the soy sauce, mostly. amazing aroma.

it was delicious. my husband loves it too.

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Say, do you guys really add the ingredients and then fill the water to the 3-cup mark? I am just discovering takikomi gohan, and my only recipe (from Hensperger/Kaufman Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook) says to fill the water to the mark, then add the ingredients on top of the rice. This makes sense to me - all those carrots and mushrooms take up a lot of space.

I'm looking forward to searching the forums for more takikomi gohan recipes, and discovering my own. I was inspired to buy a rice cooker by my Sansei boyfriend, and now I cook Japanese way more than he does. He's more of a ravioli guy.

Take care,

- Karen

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Tonight, my wife made maitake takikomi gohan. She said that the gohan was a little soggy. I asked how she made it, and she replied that she added water first and the ingredients last, according to her cookery book. Ah ha! I told her that I add the ingredients first and water last. I have never failed so far.

[saycheese]

I am curious about the difference between takikomi gohan and kamameshi. I had unagi kamameshi recently, and it was like takikomi gohan with broiled unagi arranged on top, and served in a metal pot with a wooden lid set in a square wooden stand. Thanks.

[JasonTrue]

Kamameshi refers to the style of pot used to make the rice. A lidded cast-iron or other metal pot is used for kamameshi. That kind of pot produces a result more like baking than steaming/boiling rice.

I am curious about the difference between takikomi gohan and kamameshi.  I had unagi kamameshi recently, and it was like takikomi gohan with broiled unagi arranged on top, and served in a metal pot with a wooden lid set in a square wooden stand.  Thanks.

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[Hiroyuki]

Kamameshi refers to the style of pot used to make the rice. A lidded cast-iron or other metal pot is used for kamameshi. That kind of pot produces a result more like baking than steaming/boiling rice.

I am curious about the difference between takikomi gohan and kamameshi.  I had unagi kamameshi recently, and it was like takikomi gohan with broiled unagi arranged on top, and served in a metal pot with a wooden lid set in a square wooden stand.   Thanks.

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When I hear the word kamameshi, I always associate it with Touge no Kamameshi, also known as Yokokawa no Kamameshi. It's a very popular ekiben (train lunch?) originated from Yokokawa Station in Nagano prefecture.

I can't think of an exact definition of kamameshi; all I can say is that to make kamameshi, you need a special pot called kama, which is relatively small and for one or two servings only.

I found some nice pictures of anago kamameshi:

http://www005.upp.so-net.ne.jp/antaios/recipe-kamameshi.htm

(Japanese only)

[torakris]

For me it should only be called kamameshi if it is cooked in a kama.

But many companies sell kamameshi no moto that are meant to be cooked in a regular rice cooker. I don't know how these are any different than takikomi though...

[Hiroyuki]

I made takikomi gohan with hanabira take and enoki. I was disappointed by the lack of flavor of hanabira take. The takikomi gohan itself was tasty as usual, with the same old soy sauce/mirin/sake flavor and the same old ingredients (carrot and aburaage).

For this takikomi gohan, I tried a new technique: Put hanabira take and enoki in a pan, add soy sauce, mirin, and sake, plus some water. Bring to a boil and stop the heat in a few seconds. Drain and put the liquid in the rice cooker, but not the mushrooms. After the rice is cooked, put the mushrooms and mix well.

This way, you can keep the texture of the mushrooms intact and prevent them from turning brown. I highly recommend this technique. I learned it from this webpage more than a year ago. I should have tried it much earlier.

[Hiroyuki]

I submitted a takikomi gohan recipe here on RecipeGullet.

Final product:

I know, I know. I'm not a serious home cook. Anyone care to try my recipe and compare it with a meticulous one?

[helenjp]

I will try it, and looking at your recipe, I see you comment that many recipes for this are too complicated. I agree wholeheartedly - with takikomigohan, less is more!

[Hiroyuki]

I will try it, and looking at your recipe, I see you comment that many recipes for this are too complicated. I agree wholeheartedly  - with takikomigohan, less is more!

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Thanks, Helen. I forgot to mention one important thing: NO DASHI for my takikomi gohan!

[Hiroyuki]

I made kuri okowa (glutinous rice cooked with chestnuts) for yesterday's dinner.

The ingredients are 4 gou (1 gou = 180 ml) glutinous rice, 18 large chestnuts, 2 tablespoons sake, and 1 teaspoon salt.

So simple, yet so delicious!

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It's already that time of the year!? I was really craving some kuri gohan (kuri okowa would be good too, but I'm currently out of mochigome) the other day and lamented the fact that it will probably be a couple more weeks until some chestnuts are available to me. Summer doesn't seem to want to die just yet here.

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It's that time of year again! My parents, who live in Chiba prefecture, sent us a box of chestnuts the other day, as they do every year. I have decided to make kuri okowa for tonight's supper.

Before I went shopping in the morning, I told my wife I'd buy some mochigome (glutinous rice) to make kuri okowa, but she replied that I could always make kuri gohan instead. I said, angrily, "But I like mochigome!!" I'm usually a faithful rice person, but when it comes to "takikomi-ing (?) chestnuts, sansai (wild edible plants), etc., I've always preferred mochigome. I don't know why, but the texture of mochigome is so right with chestnuts and sansai.

There has been little or no discussion about varieties of mochigome. Here is the variety often found in Niigata, Kogane Mochi, which is said to be the "king of mochigome".

This 1-kg (2.2 lb.) bag costs 620 yen.

The inner pot of the rice cooker, together with "Kurikuri Bozu", which I used to peel the chestnuts. Tough guy!

I used the whole bag of mochigome, which is equivalent to about 6.5 gou (1 gou = 180 ml). My complaint is why they sell mochigome and regular rice (uruchi mai or gome) by the kilogram when we still use "gou" for cooking .

[Cheeko]

I am both dying and inspired to try this recipe as well as the carrot/hijiki, mushroom, bamboo shoot, etcetera. Thanks to all for these pictures, experiences and recipes.

Yesterday, I bought the first kabocha of the season. I was almost jumping up and down in the store when I saw them. To me, displaced northerner now living in the hot south, the first signs of Autumn are precious. September will be the most sweltering month of the year and maybe, just maybe, October will give us signs of cooler weather and hopefully, no major hurricanes. Before we notice the Fall weather, winter will be here. But the kabocha squash and the giant butternuts! It was like seeing a very dear friends... I am being very nostalgic and silly.

Anyway, I will have to wait until at least late October or November before I see chestnuts. But I will try these other offerings with what is locally available. Need to buy a bigger rice cooker too...

[Cheeko]

I watched the latest "Iron Chef America" battle with Morimoto. The secret ingredient was tofu, so sure enough he worked in a takikomi-gohan in donabe. I love this guy. It was various mushrooms and abura-age. It's interesting to see his "battle strategies" in this american version of Iron Chef. His dishes are quite simple and fairly traditional like the takikomi-gohan. I guess he too goes with the "less-is-better" approach.

BTW, how difficult is it to pull off these recipes in a donabe? Is it worth it?

[Hiroyuki]

I watched the latest "Iron Chef America" battle with Morimoto.  The secret ingredient was tofu, so sure enough he worked in a takikomi-gohan in donabe.  I love this guy.  It was various mushrooms and abura-age.  It's interesting to see his "battle strategies" in this american version of Iron Chef.  His dishes are quite simple and fairly traditional like the takikomi-gohan.  I guess he too goes with the "less-is-better" approach.

BTW, how difficult is it to pull off these recipes in a donabe?  Is it worth it?

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Oh, Morimoto appears in that show?

You can cook rice in a donabe in 24 minutes, according to this Tameshite Gatten webpage.

達人の土鍋でご飯を炊く鉄則（米3合）

「強火　7分」→「中火　7分」→「弱火　5分」→「消火　5分（蒸らし）」

Iron rules for cooking rice in a donabe:

7 min. high heat, 7 min. medium, 5 min. low, turn off gas, wait for 5 min. (don't take off the lid, of course!)

The initial high heat is due to the fact that a donabe is not a good heat conductor. If you use an aluminum or stainless steel pot, the initial heat should be low. Do you know the phrase, "hajime chorochoro naka papa..."?

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...ndpost&p=700825

[Hiroyuki]

This webpage takes a different approach. The initial high heat is the same, though.

土鍋に蓋をして強～中火にかけます。

しばらくして鍋が沸騰し、蒸気が上がってきたら弱火に。

そのまま5分間火にかけ、5分経ったら再び強火にして10秒数えたら火を止めます。

Put the donabe on high to medium heat.

When it boils, turn it to low.

In 5 minutes, turn it to high again, count 10 seconds, then turn off the heat.

Then, wait for 20 minutes (not seconds).

Anyway, don't take off the lid until the rice is cooked!

[Cheeko]

Do you know the phrase, "hajime chorochoro naka papa..."?

I do now; thanks for the donabe tips as well as the links to the previous threads. What I really want from the donable is that cripsy/chewy/slightly-burnt rice on the sides!

I intiated the new Zojirushi (the one with the confusing GABA brown rice cycle) with a "less-is-better" mushroom-carrot-aburaage gohan. I was a little disappointed with the lack of mushroom selection at our organic market; creminis and buttons. Guess I will have to keep waiting. I was going to try it with two different mushrooms, but then the latent superstitious cooker thought I'd better do less or go all out with 5 ingredients. Best not to have four ingredients when initiatiing a new rice cooker...

Oh, Morimoto appears in that show?

Yup - and he "double-fried" his aburaage

[Hiroyuki]

What I really want from the donable is that cripsy/chewy/slightly-burnt rice on the sides! 

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I like okoge, too.

You mean you bought that rice cooker?! It seems that your first(?) takikomi gohan came out nicely. It doesn't look soggy at all.

Coincidentally, I made maitake takikomi gohan for supper yesterday. My favoriate types of mushroom in takikomi gohan are maitake and oyster mushroom. Hope you can find those where you live.

[Cheeko]

What I really want from the donable is that cripsy/chewy/slightly-burnt rice on the sides! 

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I like okoge, too.

You mean you bought that rice cooker?! It seems that your first(?) takikomi gohan came out nicely. It doesn't look soggy at all.

Coincidentally, I made maitake takikomi gohan for supper yesterday. My favoriate types of mushroom in takikomi gohan are maitake and oyster mushroom. Hope you can find those where you live.

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Yes, I bought the rice cooker and I love it! Fortunately, the booklet included a recipe for takikomi gohan so I followed "manufacturer's recommendations" for water/seasoning amounts and the ratio for rice to ingredients. The cooker also has the handy "mixed" selection from the menu so the machine did all the hard work for me. Only thing missing? Real okoge Mom says its still possible to get okoge in a rice cooker, but not in one with a teflon coated pan. She quoted the same instructions you posted for cooking in a stove-top pan, but when I mentioned I have an electric stove, she paused and then said, "Why do you have to be so difficult?"

Mushrooms: My husband loves mushrooms as well. Last year our local organic market had a much larger selection of mushrooms including oyster and maitake (it's called hen-of-the-woods here, I think). I'm hoping that they're on there way to market because I'd love to try it with a variety of mushrooms. In the meantime, I have two beautiful kabochas waiting to be used for something.

[Hiroyuki]

I made takikomi gohan, miso soup, and stir-fried mushroom, all with the two chunks of maitake that my son picked off from the yard.

Like I usually do, I boiled maitake in a pan for a short time, with some water, soy sauce, mirin, and sake, drained,

and put the liquid in the rice cooker pot, set aside the maitake. When the rice was done, I added the maitake.

This is a good way to keep the flavor and texture of maitake intact.

[Cheeko]

Thanks to eGulleters for re-introducing this food to my daily diet The pictures and the tips inspired me try them all!

I have to admit, the one version I was a little nervous about trying was the kuri-gohan. I have a vague memory of eating chestnuts from our backyard, but I was so young and I just couldn't remember the taste. I also worried about my hands - my profession does not allow for knicks and cuts to fingers. I was able to get kuri in time for tsukimi so I thought I'd give it a try. Scored and roasted them - glad I did because it filled the house with a wonderful smell -- a bit like the scent of cookies.

No hand injuries and such a delicous dish!

Tried some prepared Kamameshi mixes; nice for convenience. The first one was okay - pretty generic mushroom taste; not as good as "home-made." No abura age either

The matsutake version was much better. Since I can't afford "real" matsutake, I might as well enjoy the processed kind??? No full slices like the picture on the box (isn't that always the case) but over all taste was very good.

[Hiroyuki]

No hand injuries and such a delicous dish!

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Good for you! I know how dangerous it is to peel chestnuts with a knife. I'm really glad that I now have a kurikuri bozu.

YOUR NEXT MISSION: KURI OKOWA!!

I think you now miss plain cooked rice, though.

[torakris]

The only mixes I like to use for takikomi are the ones for kuri (chestnut) rice.

I don't know why but I prefer the flavor of the chesnuts in those packs...

Yours does look beautiful though!

[BarbaraY]

Still waiting for chestnuts here. I'm sure they're ready for market but they aren't sold here until Christmas time. The ones I got last year weren't very good because they were old. I had to throw away many of them