Kinoko gohan (Mixed rice with mushroom dressing)

Ingredients (serves 4): 3 cups (19 oz/540g) uncooked Japanese rice 3.5 oz/100g shimeji mushrooms (shimeji) 5cm (2 inches) carrot (ninjin) 100g (0.2 lb) ground chicken meat (tori-no-hikiniku) 1 tbsp sesame oil 2 tbsps sake 1 tbsp soy sauce water
Cooking Time: 45 minutes Japanese mixed rice is cooked by boiling rice with sautéed dressings or with unsautéed ingredients. Sautéed dressings make the dish rich in flavor while the unsautéed variety lets the natural flavor of the ingredients come through. This recipe uses the dressing of sautéed mushroom and chicken to add a rich taste to the dish.
Cooking Directions: 1. Wash the rice by placing the rice in a bowl and pouring on 3 cups (20 floz/600ml) of water. Drain the rice immediately.
2. Place the rice in another bowl, soak in 1 1/2 cups (10 floz/300ml) water, press the rice using the palm, remove sticking grains and drain the rice. Repeat this action three times until the water's milky color turns clear.
3. Cover the rice with water and leave for 30 minutes.
4. Remove a root from the shimeji mushroom and separate the stems by hands.
5. Peel the carrot and shred into 2cm (1 inch) pieces.
6. Warm the sesame oil in a thick based pan, saute the chicken and carrot until the color of the meat turns whitish. Add the shimeji mushrooms, sake, and soy sauce. Remove the pan from the heat.
7. Drain the rice and place in a thick pot, add 3 cups (20 floz/600ml) of water and the sautéed ingredients. Mix roughly, cover with a lid.
8. Place the pot over high heat. When it comes to the boil, cook over a low heat for 7- 10 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed. 9. When small air holes appear on the surface of the rice, warm the pot over the high heat for a further 1- 2 minutes.
10. Remove the pot from the heat and leave to stand for 5-10 minutes to let the rice steam. While the rice is steaming do not remove the lid. 11. Serve the rice and the dressing in a rice bowl.
Tips: It is possible to use any type of mushroom in this recipe but if you use shiitake mushroom, shred the mushroom into thin pieces to increase the surface area producing flavor. If dried shiitake mushrooms are available, boil the rice with the liquid used to re-hydrate the dried shiitake mushrooms instead of in fresh water. This liquid increases the rich mushroom flavor. You can enjoy this delicious mixed rice dish with any type of mushroom available at your local supermarket.
Japanese Liquid Measures: 1 cup = 200ml = 6.76 fl oz 1 tablespoon = 15ml = 0.5 fl oz 1 teaspoon = 5ml = 0.16 fl oz