Need a dinner that cooks itself into the coziest, most satisfying, winter meal ever? Salmon-Ginger Rice! Meshi are traditional Japanese one-pot dishes that magically meld meat and vegetables with rice into a savory symphony. And if you own a rice cooker,* it all happens at the touch of a button.
*If you don’t own a rice cooker, you can make this in a covered pot on your stovetop. The how-to-cook-on-a-stove instructions are below the rice cooker instructions.
Salmon-Ginger Rice
Serves 4
3 c. (300 gr) Japanese (short-grain) rice
3 c. (300 ml) dashi (or 3 cups boiling water + 4 t. (20 gr) Hon-dashi instant dashi granules)**
8-12 oz. (225-350 gr) boneless salmon filet, skin off
1 bunch green onions
1 knob fresh ginger
1/2 c. (80gr) shelled edamame beans (optional)
For the seasoning sauce:
1/4 cup (60ml) soy sauce
2 T. (30ml) mirin
2 T. (30ml) sake
1/2 t. (3 gr) salt
Directions:
Mix seasoning sauce in a measuring cup and set aside until after the rice is cooked.
Rinse the rice and mix it with the dashi in your cooking pot or rice cooker. (If you’re cooking it on the stove, let the rice soak for 20-30 minutes before cooking it.)
Peel and chop the ginger into slivers. Throw it in the pot.
Slice the green onions, including the green parts. Set aside a small handful for sprinkling over at the end, and throw the rest into the pot.
Set the raw salmon filet(s) on top.
If you have a rice cooker:
Close the lid and press the button (using the “white rice” setting). Go away and put your feet up until it pings.
If you’re cooking it on the stove:
Cover the pot with the lid, leaving a small gap so steam can escape, and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Check every few minutes to see if the broth is boiling, so it doesn’t boil over.
When the broth starts to boil, turn down the heat way down and cover the pot. Set your timer for 10 minutes and check to see if the broth is absorbed yet (it probably won’t be). Put the lid back on and keep checking every few minutes until no liquid is standing over the rice.
When the broth is mostly absorbed, take it off the stove and cover the pot. Let it sit for 10-15 more minutes until the rice is fully steamed.
Here’s what it will look like now:
Pour the seasoning sauce into the pot. Using a rice paddle or wooden spoon, break up the cooked salmon and add the edamame, folding the seasoning sauce and all the cooked ingredients into the rice the bits of salmon are evenly distributed.
Sprinkle the reserved green onions over the top and serve.
**Dashi (Japanese soup broth) can be made from scratch by putting a 3″ square of dried kelp seaweed (kombu) into 5 cups (500 ml) of cold water and heating it just until bubbles form on the sides of the pot (if it comes to a full boil, it will be bitter, so keep an eye on it!) Take it off the heat and throw in two generous handfuls of dried, shaved bonito flakes (katsuo bushi). Cover and let cool to room temperature, then strain out the kelp and bonito flakes.
Or you can use Hon-dashi instant dashi granules, which can be bought at Asian supermarkets or online. Use 1 t. (5 gr) per one cup (300ml) of boiling water.
•
Click here for more Japanese Home Cooking Recipes
•
Or get a fresh recipe sent to your email every month when you subscribe!
•
•
•
Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly Japanagram newsletter, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Japanagram 