Matsutake Gohan

When in doubt, Just One Cookbook always seems to have the Japanese recipe I’m looking for. I picked up some matsutake mushrooms at the farmer’s market, and was googling around for typical ways to serve it. This rice dish seemed to be a classic preparation, and I trusted JOC would have a good version. John and I both really enjoyed this – you almost steam the mushrooms in the rice cooker, which is a neat preparation. We also used the leftovers to make John’s favorite chicken and rice dish (which might have been a trashy move but was delicious nonetheless).

3 rice cooker cups uncooked Japanese short grain rice
4-7 oz Matsutake mushrooms (Note: I peeled these at the instruction of the forager who sold me these)
1¼ cup dashi
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp mirin
1 Tbsp sake

Rinse the rice with cold water (this needs serious rinsing time – I swish it with my hand for 60 swishes or so these days and then rinse for a minute in the colander). Drain and set aside for 30 minutes.

Slice mushrooms into thin slices.

Put rice in rice cooker. Combine seasonings and dashi to get 3 total cups of liquid.

Add matsutake mushroom on top of the rice and start cooking. You do not need to mix. I did this in the pressure cooker for five minutes. When the rice is cooked, mix it gently.