Chicken and Mushroom Steamed Rice (Tori to Kinoko no Takikomigohan)

Takikomigohan (literally, dish served with rice) is a Japanese rice dish seasoned with dashi and soy sauce, and often includes mushrooms, vegetables, meat, or fish. I made chicken (tori) and mushroom (kinoko) takikomigohan for this recipe. This is very easy to make if you have a rice steamer, though you can still make it if you don't. Many traditional Japanese restaurants serve takikomigohan with seasonal ingredients.

Yield: 4 servings
Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/4 lb thigh chicken (chopped small)
  
• 1/4 lb shimeji mushrooms
  
• 1/4 lb enoki mushrooms
• 1/4 lb maitake mushrooms
  
• 1/2 cup carrots (chopped small)
• 3 cups of rice
  

Spices

• 2 tbsp sake
  
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
  
• 1 tbsp mirin
  
• 1 tsp hondashi
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
  

Preparation

1. Marinate chicken in sake, soy sauce and mirin mixture for 5 minutes
   
2. Heat the sesame oil in the frying pan, then add chicken and mixture and cook for 2 minutes over medium heat
   
3. Add mushrooms then cook 2 more minutes and add a dash of salt and pepper
   
4. Wash the rice and add to rice steamer, then strain the liquid from the frying pan and add the liquid to the rice in the steamer
   
5. Add water to the steamer to the 3 cup level, then add hondashi, chicken, and mushrooms
   
6. Turn on the steamer, wait, and serve when it is finished cooking!

Notes
Please use your favorite mushrooms if you can not find Japanese mushrooms.

If you do not have a rice cooker, prepare the ingredients in the same fashion, but use a pot to cook. Cover with lid, and cook 10 minutes, then reduce heat and cook another 7 minutes on low. Remove from heat and let cooked rice to steam, covered, for 10 minutes

Please do not open the lid until it is finished, as the rice will burn. Also, please be mindful of the heat and watch carefully in case it boils over.