粥

Rice Soup

SERVES 4–6 AS A MAIN

165 g (5¾ oz/¾ cup) Japanese short-grain rice

1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups) dashi II (here)

1½ tablespoons Japanese soy sauce

2 teaspoons mirin

2 teaspoons sake

200 g (7 oz) cooked chopped chicken or prawns (shrimp)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon ginger juice (here)

2 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped

Rinse the rice in cold water three to four times until it runs clear. (Some Japanese rice has already been through this washing process—it will be labelled on the packet.)

Combine the rice and dashi in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Cover and reduce the heat to very low. Cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally so the rice doesn’t catch on the base of the pan. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the soy sauce, mirin and sake and stir to combine. Add the chicken or prawns.

Just before serving, stir in the egg and ginger juice and cook for 1 minute, or until the egg just starts to set. Serve in deep soup bowls sprinkled with spring onion.