Description
Japanese Mushroom Rice is a comforting and flavorful dish featuring short-grain Japanese rice cooked with a savory blend of dashi stock, soy sauce, mirin, and sake. Mixed mushrooms such as shiitake, shimeji, and enoki are sautéed with aromatic onions, garlic, and ginger, then folded into the perfectly cooked rice. This umami-rich dish is garnished with fresh green onions and toasted sesame seeds, making it a delightful side or light main, with options to customize for vegetarian preferences.
Ingredients
Scale
Rice Mixture
- 2 cups short-grain Japanese rice
- 2 1/4 cups dashi stock (or vegetable broth for vegetarian version)
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 tablespoon sake
Mushroom Sauté
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or sesame oil
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 cups mixed mushrooms (shiitake, shimeji, enoki), cleaned and trimmed
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
Garnish
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Prepare the rice: Rinse the short-grain Japanese rice thoroughly under cold running water until the water runs clear to remove excess starch. Drain well to prevent sogginess during cooking.
- Combine cooking liquids: In a rice cooker pot or a heavy-bottomed pot, add the rinsed rice along with dashi stock (or vegetable broth for a vegetarian variation), soy sauce, mirin, and sake. This mixture will infuse the rice with complex umami flavors as it cooks.
- Sauté aromatics and mushrooms: Heat vegetable or sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onions, minced garlic, and grated ginger, sautéing until fragrant and the onions soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add the mixed mushrooms and cook until they become tender and lightly browned, approximately 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Cook the rice with mushrooms: Spread the sautéed mushroom mixture evenly over the top of the rice in the rice cooker or pot. Do not stir the mushrooms into the rice at this stage. Close the lid and cook according to your rice cooker instructions or bring the pot to a simmer on the stovetop over low heat, cooking until the liquid is fully absorbed and the rice is tender, approximately 15-20 minutes on the stovetop.
- Fluff and serve: Once cooking is complete, gently fluff the rice and mushrooms together to evenly distribute the ingredients. Transfer to serving dishes and garnish with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds for a fresh, nutty finish.
Notes
- For additional texture and flavor, add thinly sliced carrots or fried tofu to the mushroom sauté.
- To intensify the earthy mushroom flavor, use only shiitake mushrooms if preferred.
- Substitute dashi stock with vegetable broth to make the recipe fully vegetarian.
- If using a stovetop pot, cover tightly to ensure even cooking and steam retention.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Japanese
