五目飯

Five-flavoured Rice

In Japan, rice is a staple ingredient that is consumed daily. This recipe involves cooking the rice with the chicken and vegetables to add more flavour.

SERVES 4–6 AS A MAIN

440 g (15½ oz/2 cups) Japanese short-grain rice

5 dried shiitake mushrooms

25 g (1 oz) abura-age (deep-fried tofu sheets)

100 g (3½ oz) konnyaku (yam cake), optional

1 small carrot, peeled

75 g (2½ oz) bamboo shoots

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces

500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) dashi II (here)

80 ml (2½ fl oz/¹/₃ cup) Japanese soy sauce

2 tablespoons mirin

7 g (¼ oz/¼ cup) chopped mitsuba or flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, optional

Rinse the rice several times in cold water until the water runs clear, then soak in fresh water for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, soak the shiitake in 375 ml (1½ cups) hot water for 30 minutes, then drain, reserving the liquid. Discard the stems and thinly slice the caps.

Put the abura-age in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water for a few minutes. Drain and squeeze the sheets gently between paper towels to remove excess oil.

Cut the konnyaku, carrot, bamboo shoots and abura-age into 3 cm x 5 mm (1¼ x ¼ in) strips and put in a bowl with the mushrooms. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl.

Combine the dashi, reserved mushroom liquid, soy sauce, mirin and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl, then pour over the chicken and vegetables and allow to sit for about 20 minutes.

Drain the rice and spread over the base of a large saucepan. Pour the chicken and vegetable mixture over but do not stir. Sit the saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil, then cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, leaving the pan on the stove, and leave to stand for another 10 minutes before stirring to combine all the ingredients well. If you like, stir in the mitsuba, then serve.

Cut the konnyaku, carrot, bamboo shoots and abura-age into strips and put in a bowl with the mushrooms