2 ½ cups dashi stock (or water with dashi powder/granules as per package instructions)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1 tablespoon sake (optional, for extra flavor)
1 small carrot (julienned or thinly sliced)
4-5 shiitake mushrooms
100g (3.5 oz) chicken thigh (optional, cut into bite-sized pieces)
1 small piece of konjac root (yam cake, optional; sliced thinly)
2-3 green onions or mitsuba (Japanese parsley) for garnish
Salt, to taste (optional, depending on soy sauce strength)
Instructions
Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear (this removes excess starch for a better texture). Drain well and place it in the rice cooker or a heavy-bottomed pot.
If using dried shiitake mushrooms, soak them in warm water for 20 minutes, then squeeze out excess water and slice thinly. Reserve the soaking water to mix with dashi if desired (strain it to remove grit).
Julienne the carrot and slice the konjac root (if using). If adding chicken, cut it into small pieces.
In a measuring cup, combine the dashi stock, soy sauce, mirin, and sake. Stir well. If you’re using the mushroom soaking water, adjust the total liquid to 2 ½ cups to match the rice volume.
lace the rinsed rice in the rice cooker or pot. Add the seasoned dashi broth. Then, layer the chicken (if using), shiitake mushrooms, carrot, and konjac root on top of the rice. Do not stir at this stage—the ingredients will cook into the rice.
If using a rice cooker, select the standard white rice setting and start cooking. If using a pot, bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to low, cover, and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it steam for another 10 minutes.
Once cooked, gently fluff the rice and mix the ingredients evenly with a rice paddle or wooden spoon. Taste and adjust with a pinch of salt if needed.
Serve in bowls and garnish with chopped green onions or mitsuba.
Additional notes
You can swap chicken for salmon, aburaage (fried tofu), or bamboo shoots. For a vegetarian version, skip the meat and use kombu dashi.
Takikomi Gohan can also be made with other types of rice. If short grain rice is unavailable, medium grain calrose will be closest.
If you don’t have dashi stock, you can make a quick version by simmering kombu (dried kelp) and bonito flakes in water, or use instant dashi granules.
