You'll be amazed at how the simple seasonings in this Japanese mushroom rice add so much umami, earthy, delicious flavor. This easy side dish works so well alongside both Asian and many other meals.
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Mushrooms are one of those things that I sometimes love, and other times can't think what to do with. We're big fans of my carbonara with mushrooms and mushroom stroganoff is another comforting meal. But as a side, I often just cook it with garlic and not much else. Not that that's bad, of course, but variety is never a bad thing.
When I came across Japanese mushroom rice, kinoko gohan, I knew I needed to try it. I was intrigued by the simple flavors, but could see them working. And they really, really do.
What is kinoko gohan?
Kinoko gohan is a simple variation on takikomi gohan, which is a Japanese mixed rice dish combining rice, vegetables and meat. This dish keeps things much simpler with just a few seasonings and mushrooms in with the rice, but the result tastes so much more than the parts.
The mushrooms are cooked in with the rice so they let their flavor out into the broth that the rice absorbs as it cooks. Along with the soy, mirin and sake, it gives a deliciously umami, earthy flavor.
What kind of mushrooms are best?
There is no set formula for the kind of mushrooms - most recipes use a mix of shitake plus one or more others. Some use dried shitake mushrooms and rehydrate them, then you use the soaking liquid as well. Others use fresh, as I have here.
I would suggest using at least some shitake then whatever other Asian mushrooms you can find. For me, that was oyster mushrooms.
Steps to make Japanese mushroom rice
- Rinse the rice well to remove excess starch.
- Trim the stems off the mushrooms, removing any woody parts, and cut into thin slices.
- Put the rice, water, salt, soy sauce, mirin, sake and mushrooms in a pan and cover.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked. Serve warm.
What can you serve with this?
As I mention above, I think there are a lot of options to pair with this rice. Traditionally, it would be a side to things like grilled fish. If you want to broaden with other Japanese dishes, or keep it vegetarian, why not also add sides like kabocha no nimono (simmered squash) or miso glazed eggplant (nasu dengaku).
But you can also pair this rice with more than just Japanese foods. We had it with pan fried soft shell crab and an Asian-style slaw. Bear in mind the flavors are earthy, but if that would work, give it a try to pair with.
This Japanese mushroom rice dish is easy to make, and so much more interesting than plain old rice. It's not heavy but has a great depth of flavor. Give it a try, and enjoy the tasty surprise!
Looking for more international rice dishes? Try these!
- Vegetarian bibimbap (Korean rice and vegetables)
- Persian herb rice with fish (sabzi polow mahi)
- Spanish black rice paella (arroz negro)
- Saffron risotto
- South African yellow rice
- Plus get more side dishes and Japanese recipes in the archives.
Japanese mushroom rice (kinoko gohan)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup sushi rice (can use other short grain rice)
- 1 oz shitake mushrooms (fresh)
- 1 ½ oz oyster mushrooms (or other Asian mushrooms)
- 1 cup water
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin (rice wine)
- 1 tablespoon sake
Instructions
- Rinse the rice well to remove excess starch.
- Trim the stems off the mushrooms, removing any woody parts, and cut into thin slices.
- Put the rice, water, salt, soy sauce, mirin, sake and mushrooms in a pan and cover.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
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MJ says
Yum this looks delicious! My mom has always made something similar. She just pan sautées mushrooms of choice in butter and tops or stirs it into the rice after. We love it for an easy lunch but it's great with any protein as well.
I don't have sake but I do have mirin, would I put more mirin or just leave the sake out completely? Would a splash of vegetable or mushroom broth be good in place of the sake just to add some flavor?
Caroline's Cooking says
Yes, I know other versions of making rice with mushrooms that do that - here adding the mushrooms earlier helps add flavor to the rice. If you saute some mushrooms to add at the end, I would probably go for some crimini rather than shitake but that's more of an aside. As for sake/mirin - I think you could do either, mirin is generally a little sweeter so just keep that in mind if you add more mirin. Another option, if you had it, would be to use sherry rather than the mirin, or even dry wine. I think mushroom broth would not add much since that's in effect what you have from the mushrooms being in there, but certainly wouldn't be bad either.
Timus says
For those of us that pick our own wild mushrooms, this is a wonderful recipe that works particularly well with ceps (porcini). Leftovers fry up beautifully (think egg fried rice) the next day too. A drizzle of homemade Rayu really sets it off.
Caroline's Cooking says
Wild mushrooms sound wonderful in there, as does the rayu chili oil on top. Glad to hear you have been enjoying!
Lisa | Garlic & Zest says
I have a "thing" for mushrooms. They're so meaty and rich -- I can see why they'd work so well with this rice dish. I imagine the soy sauce, mirin and sake add a sweet savoriness that would really amp up the umami of the mushrooms. Cannot wait to try this one -- just need to find a good selection of mushrooms.
Caroline's Cooking says
I agree, they often seem to be that bit under-used. This is such a lovely way to enjoy their flavors, and indeed the couple of additions really bring out the umami flavor. Enjoy!
Jocelyn says
I think I'm in love. I adore all the flavors in this recipe!
Caroline's Cooking says
Thanks - they are so simple but also so flavorful!