Sansai Takikomi Gohan is considered to be a spring rice dish because it uses mountain vegetables (edible wild plants) and bamboo shoots that are seasonal vegetables of spring. This is a tasty rice dish, and the unique flavour of mountain vegetables is quite addictive.
Don't forget to see the section 'MEAL IDEAS' below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted and this recipe that can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.
- 360ml/12.2fl oz short grain rice (note 1)
- 1 pack pre-boiled sansai mix drained (note 2)
- 50g/1.8oz boiled bamboo shoot (note 3)
- 1 aburaage
- 2 cups boiling water
- 390ml/13.2fl oz water (note 4)
- 1½ tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 tsp granular dashi stock (note 5)
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Wash rice until the water runs clear. Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes.
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Cut the bamboo shoot horizontally, 2.5-3cm/1-1⅛" from the tip.
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Halve the tip portion vertically, place the cut side down, then cut each piece vertically into 2mm/3⁄32" thick slices.
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Quarter the bottom part of the bamboo shoot vertically, then cut each quarter into 2mm/3⁄32" thick slices, making fan-shaped pieces.
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Pour boiling water over the aburaage to remove excess oil, then squeeze the water out.
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Halve the aburaage lengthwise, then cut into 3mm/⅛" wide strips.
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Drain rice and put it in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or the inner pot of a rice cooker.
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If using a saucepan: Add 390ml/13.2fl oz water to the pan.
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If using a rice cooker: Add water to the line marked for 2 rice cups, then remove 2½ tablespoons of water from it (note 6).
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Put the Flavouring ingredients into the pot and mix well. Shake the pot gently and level the surface of the rice.
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Spread sansai, bamboo shoots, and aburaage pieces over the rice. Cook the rice in the same way as Cooking Rice The Japanese Way.
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When mixing the rice after it is cooked, try to mix the vegetables in evenly.
1. This is equivalent to 2 rice measuring cups. 1 rice measuring cup (the cup that comes with the Japanese rice cooker) is 180ml/6.1fl oz.
2. I bought a packet of boiled mountain vegetables at a Japanese grocery store (see the photo in the post). It contained several vegetables in water. The net weight indicated on the pack was 300g/10.1oz, but after draining the water it weighed about 150g/5.3oz.
3. I bought vacuum packed boiled bamboo shoots from a Japanese grocery store (see the sample photo in my post Rice with Bamboo Shoots (Takenoko Gohan). Asian grocery stores may not sell the same type of bamboo shoots, but they sell thin young bamboo shoots (spear shape) that are already boiled.
Do not use the canned bamboo shoot slices that you can buy at supermarkets and Asian grocery stores. They have a sour taste that does not go well with the flavour of today’s dish.
The instructions for slicing bamboo shoots are suited to the corn-shaped bamboo shoots that I used. Please adjust the method of slicing it according to the shape of your bamboo shoot.
4. This is the suggested quantity of water when you are cooking Sansai Takikomi Gohan in a saucepan. If you are using a rice cooker, you will need water filled to the level indicated for 2 rice cups as per the instructions.
5. I used instant dashi stock powder to mix into the water. But if you prefer using home-made dashi stock, you can replace dashi powder and water with 390ml of dashi stock or the quantity required for your rice cooker.
If you use vegetarian dashi stock such as shiitake dashi and konbu dashi, it becomes vegan takikomi gohan.
6. 2½ tablespoons of water equates to the total volume of soy sauce and mirin to be added later. In the case of cooking rice in a saucepan, 390ml of water is already taking these seasonings into account.
7. Sansai Takikomo Gohan freezes well. You should wrap rice in cling wrap or put it in an airtight container/zip lock bag while the rice is still hot. Let it cool down, then freeze. It keeps about 1 month.