Japanese Seasoned Rice

“Japanese Seasoned Rice” is one of the most typical dishes using “rice”. It is also a popular rice dish among Japanese people. “Japanese Seasoned Rice” is a dish made by cooking ingredients and rice together with seasonings such as salt, soy sauce, sake and dashi-soup (broth). You can imagine it as a Japanese style pilaf dish. As the taste and flavor of the ingredients are squeezed into the rice, the “rice,” which would taste bland on its own, becomes extremely flavorful and concentrated. Naturally, there are a tremendous number of variations of this rice dish. Many of the “Japanese Seasoned Rice” using local specialty ingredients have been the local cuisine of each region. It is probably one of the most familiar dishes as it is often prepared by each family based on their own unique recipe. If cooking the standard “Japanese Seasoned Rice”, you can find many types of products on the market that contain all the ingredients and seasonings. “Gomoku (Five ingredients)”, “Matsutake (Matsutake mushroom)”, “Kuri (chestnut)”, “Takenoko (bamboo shoot)”, “Sansai (wild vegetable)”, “Tai (red snapper)”, “Kaki (oyster)”, “Tori (chicken)”, “Kinoko (mushrooms)”, etc… What a great variety～!

There is another rice dish called “Okowa”, which is similar to “Japanese Seasoned Rice”. “O-Sekihan (azuki beans rice)” is a kind of “Okowa”. “Okowa” is made from glutinous rice and it is characterized by the cooking way that is made by steaming. “As well as “Japanese Seasoned Rice”, there are many varieties of “Okowa”. Since glutinous rice has always been more expensive than regular rice, we can say that “Okowa” is an upgraded version of “Japanese Seasoned Rice”. Therefore, “Okowa” was usually eaten during celebrations or festivals. “O-Sekihan” is a typical rice dish that is eaten during such occasions of celebration. “Okowa” is a little more difficult to make at home, because so difficult to adjust the water level when cooking. It is a delicate dish that requires a fairly complete recipe and experience, that is true. In addition, there is a similar dish called “Maze-Gohan (mixed rice)” which is different from “Japanese Seasoned Rice” and “Okowa”. This is a rice dish made by mixing ingredients into cooked rice. So-called “Chirashi-zushi” is a kind of the “Maze-Gohan”.

Now then, please get your favorite ingredients. And let’s make it right away. You can find countless recipes by searching the web, so it’s a very convenient world now! If you are using a recipe from the web, please be careful. In particular, you should pay attention when referring to the recipe that describes the amount of each ingredient (or seasoning) as “just the right amount”. (In Japanese, “just the right amount” is often described as “適量”.) We recommend that you refer to the one that clearly states the amount of each of them. As mentioned above, “Japanese Seasoned Rice” and “Okowa” are dishes in which the water used for cooking and the amount of water contained in the ingredients are very important. It is easy to make a mistake if there is a slight difference in the water absorbency of the rice and ingredients, or the ratio of fat to oil in the ingredients used… Even if you try to follow a commercial recipe, you may end up failing sometimes, probably because of the ingredients you used. If you can make “Japanese Seasoned Rice” or “Okowa” with your original recipe, you can call yourself the “Master of Rice dish” for sure. Oh, when you accomplish that feat, be sure to share the recipe with us!