Takikomi Gohan Dashi Rice: the 1 thing you shouldn’t get wrong
If you want to try a new rice recipe, why not enjoy a light seasonal veggie, chicken, and rice dish?
The idea behind takikomi gohan is only to use seasonal ingredients to create a quick and simple comforting rice dish. The one thing you shouldn’t get wrong is cooking the ingredients together in layers, which brings out the subtle flavors of the vegetables and liquid seasoning.
I’ll show you exactly how to do that in this recipe, so read on!
Making takikomi gohan is simple, so I’m sharing a convenient recipe you can definitely make yourself!
Oh, and if you’re vegan, I’ll also be sharing a few simple variations.
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How to make takikomi gohan
Takikomi Gohan Japanese Dashi Rice
Equipment
- Rice cooker
Ingredients
- 2 cups short-grain rice
- 1½ cups bonito dashi stock
- ½ cup water
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp sake optional
- 5¼ ounces chicken breast (or thigh) cut into small bite-sized pieces
- 1 piece aburaage deep-fried tofu pocket
- 1½ ounces carrot sliced into tiny strips
- 2 ounces gobo burdock root or use parsnip
- 1¾ ounces shiitake mushrooms
- 1½ ounces maitake mushrooms
- 2 leaves parsley
Instructions
- Wash and rinse the rice, then soak it for about 30 minutes, and drain well.
- Put it in the rice cooker, then add the dashi stock and water.
- Cut the chicken into small bite-sized pieces and add it to a bowl.
- Now add the salt, mirin, sake, and soy sauce. Mix the chicken with the condiments. Let it marinate for a few minutes.
- Cut up the carrots into small strips. If you use parsnip, do the same.
- If you are using gobo, strip the top layer of the burdock root with a knife, then cut it up into small strips by making several shallow cuts around the root. This helps separate the pieces so you can cut them up.
- Wash the gobo and rinse well to remove any dirt and brown color. To do this, place the gobo in a small strainer and rinse under the tap.
- Now add the carrots and gobo to the chicken and mix all the ingredients with the sauce.
- Slice up all the mushrooms into small strips. Throw away the ends of the stems.
- Place the aburaage tofu on a paper towel to remove oil and cut into thin strips.
- Take the mixed vegetables from the bowl and place them into the rice cooker on top of the rice and add the chicken, tofu, and mushrooms on top.
- Make sure to distribute everything evenly but do NOT mix the ingredients.
- Cook the rice. Check your rice cooker for the mixed rice setting if you have it. Cook it with a regular setting if not.
- Once cooked, mix everything with a rice paddle and serve. Garnish with parsley.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The most common takikomi gohan is made with short-grain rice, burdock root, carrots, mushrooms, and chicken, all cooked together in the rice cooker and seasoned with mirin, dashi, and soy sauce.
If you want your dish to turn out perfect every time, you should consider some tips before you start cooking.
First, this dish is all about lots of rice and a little bit of each other ingredient. So, your goal is for 80% rice and 20% other ingredients.
Authentic takikomi gohan calls for a small quantity of meat and vegetables and minimal seasoning.
Since the rice is cooked at the same time as everything else, you need to add less meat and veggies, or else the rice doesn’t cook properly since it doesn’t have enough liquid.
Wash and soak the rice before you cook it. Then drain it and let it sit for 10-20 minutes because this process ensures the rice will absorb more flavors while it cooks.
Don’t mix the rice with the other ingredients before you put them in the rice cooker. You need to layer, starting with the hardest ingredients at the bottom and the softest at the top.
The secret is to layer the rice at the bottom, then add root vegetables, the chicken, then a layer of soft ingredients like tofu and other veggies like mushrooms.
Once they are layered, you DO NOT mix them at all until they are cooked. Once everything is cooked, you mix the ingredients with a rice paddle and serve in bowls.
How to serve takikomi gohan
Takikomi gohan is best served hot and fresh. I don’t recommend storing it in the fridge because the rice will get hard. You can freeze leftovers for about a month and heat them up in the microwave.
This dish is commonly eaten as part of a family meal for lunch or dinner. It is a popular seasonal dish, so most people have it after the rice harvest.
It’s mostly considered to be a side dish for other main dishes like grilled fish. Since fish is a light meal, the rice is a good consistent, filling side dish with a delicious serving of veggies.
For more rice dish inspiration, read: 15 Authentic Donburi Bowls reviewed and how to use them
Conclusion
Now that you’ve seen how to make this dish and my list of alternative ingredients you can use, check the market for some seasonal veggies and start making takikomi gohan!
The great thing about this recipe is that you can kind of throw together whatever you like, and you don’t need to use a lot of condiments to get a flavorful bowl of rice.
Check out this delicious comfort food that’ll leave you fulfilled: Zosui Japanese rice soup
It’s perfect for those days where you’re feeling a bit under the weather and need a simple dish that’ll get you right back up on your feet.
Check out our new cookbook
Bitemybun's family recipes with complete meal planner and recipe guide.
Try it out for free with Kindle Unlimited:
Read for free
Joost Nusselder, the founder of Bite My Bun is a content marketer, dad and loves trying out new food with Japanese food at the heart of his passion, and together with his team he's been creating in-depth blog articles since 2016 to help loyal readers with recipes and cooking tips.
