Five-Ingredient Rice (五目ご飯, Gomoku Gohan)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Rice cooker, or a heavy pot with a tight lid
• •Fine-mesh strainer lined with cloth
• •Rice paddle (shamoji)
• •Small saucepan for dashi

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the shiitake

   Rinse the dried shiitake briefly, then soak them in 3/4 cup of the cold water until soft, at least 20 minutes. Save the soaking liquid and slice the caps thinly, discarding the tough stems. That liquid carries mushroom depth, so strain it through a fine sieve if there is grit and keep it for the cooking liquid.

2. 2

   Make the dashi

   Wipe the konbu with a damp cloth, but don't wash it. Put it in the remaining 1 1/2 cups cold water and bring it up slowly over low heat. Pull the konbu just before the water boils, when small bubbles climb the sides. Add the katsuobushi, take the pot off the heat, and leave it alone for 2 minutes. Strain and let it drip without squeezing, because squeezing presses rough, oily flavor into the clean stock.

   You need about 1 3/4 cups total liquid after combining dashi, shiitake soaking liquid, and seasonings. If you are short, add a little water.
3. 3

   Wash the rice

   Wash the rice in several changes of water, stirring with your fingers and pouring off the cloudy water each time, until it runs almost clear. Drain it in a sieve for 15 minutes. Washing removes loose starch so the grains cook distinct rather than gluey, and the short drain lets them take in seasoning evenly.

4. 4

   Prepare the five

   Cut the burdock and carrot into thin matchsticks. Soak the burdock in water for 5 minutes, then drain; a short soak takes off harshness without washing away its good earthiness. Pour hot water over the abura-age, press it dry, and slice it thinly so excess surface oil doesn't cloud the rice. Parboil the konnyaku for 2 minutes, then cut it into short strips to clear its raw smell and tighten its chew.

5. 5

   Season the liquid

   Combine the strained dashi, strained shiitake soaking liquid, soy sauce, mirin, sake, and salt. Taste it. It should be a little stronger than soup, because the rice will soften it as it cooks. Put the drained rice in a rice cooker or heavy pot and add the seasoned liquid to the regular 2-cup rice mark, or to about 1 3/4 cups total liquid for stovetop cooking.

6. 6

   Layer, don't stir

   Scatter the shiitake, burdock, carrot, abura-age, and konnyaku evenly over the rice. Do not mix them in. The rice needs to sit level under the liquid so every grain hydrates at the same pace; the ingredients season from above while the pot comes up to heat.

7. 7

   Cook the rice

   Cook on the normal white-rice setting. For a pot, bring it to a boil over medium heat, cover tightly, lower the heat to very low, and cook for 13 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it rest, still covered, for 15 minutes. The rest is not idleness. It lets the last moisture settle back through the grains.

8. 8

   Fold and serve

   Open the lid, scatter over the mitsuba if using, and fold the rice gently from the bottom with a rice paddle. Lift and turn rather than mash. Serve in restrained bowls, with the grains glossy and the five ingredients visible but not crowded. Leave it room.

Chef Tips

• •Use real dashi here. Instant powder will cook the rice, yes, and so will plain water, but this dish is built on the stock. When the dashi is the point, the sensible stand-in is a vegetarian dashi of konbu and dried shiitake, not granules.
• •Do not over-soak the burdock. Five minutes is enough. You want to tame the edge, not lose the aroma that makes gomoku gohan taste grounded.
• •The rice cooker makes this dish very forgiving. Add the seasonings first, then enough dashi to reach the mark, because adding soy and mirin after the mark gives you too much liquid.
• •For a meatless table, omit the katsuobushi and make the stock with konbu plus the shiitake soaking liquid. That is temple-kitchen logic, and it is honmono, not a compromise.

Advance Preparation

• •The dashi can be made up to two days ahead and kept refrigerated. Keep the shiitake soaking liquid separate if it has sediment, then strain it before cooking.
• •The vegetables can be cut a few hours ahead. Keep the burdock in fresh water and drain it well before cooking so it doesn't dilute the seasoning.
• •Cooked gomoku gohan keeps well for two days refrigerated. Reheat gently with a damp cloth or loose cover so the rice softens without becoming wet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 235g)