Recipe by Dashi Okume
If you’re looking for a real umami-bomb, try this dish where rice absorbs umami from a host of umami-rich ingredients, ending up with a delicious, savory, meaty-tasting result. For best results, source genuine Japanese ingredients.*
*In New York, MOGMOG (L.I.C.); Dashi Okume (Greenpoint); Wegman’s Astor Place (Manhattan); Katagiri (Multiple Locations); Sunrise Mart (Multiple Locations); Dainobu (Multiple Locations); Osakana (Multiple Locations); The Rice Factory (Scarsdale); Mitsuwa Marketplace (Edgewater, NJ). Or you can order online for delivery from Weee!, OP Fish Market, and Yama Seafood.
RELATED: Cooking Japanese? Buy Japanese.
2 SERVINGS
INGREDIENTS
300 grams (1 ½ cups) uncooked Japanese rice
300 grams (1 ¼ cups) water (soft water or filtered water for the best umami)
30 grams (2 tablespoons) light soy sauce (Usukuchi )
30 grams (2 tablespoons) mirin (use hon mirin for the best results )
20 grams (¼ cups) of dried Japanese scallop (Can be found online at weee! or contact Dashi Okume)
20 grams (¼ cups) of dried Japanese shiitake
2 dashi sachets (we recommend the Dashi Okume Premium Dashi)
120 grams (4.2 ounces) of fresh Japanese scallops—cut into ¼ (defrost in the fridge overnight if frozen for the best texture and taste. Sashimi grade is even better!)
Mitsuba leaves or shredded nori seaweed for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms and dried scallops overnight in water. Remove all the soaked dried ingredients from the water and put aside. Also save and use this umami-rich soaking water as part of the 300 grams of water needed to cook the rice (we’ll call it umami water). Gently rinse the rice, then soak it in the umami water for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, dice the soaked dried scallops and shiitake mushrooms into roughly 0.5mm cubes. After the rice has soaked for 30 minutes, add the soy sauce and mirin to the rice in the umami water and mix lightly.
Place the dashi sachets, diced dried shiitake, and dried scallops on top of the rice. If your scallops are NOT sashimi grade, cut them into ¼ sizes and add them to the rice now. Start cooking the rice. If your fresh scallops are sashimi grade, you may marinate them in a mixture of light soy sauce and sake (ratio 2:1) for 10 minutes, then drain excess moisture. Once the rice is cooked, remove the dashi sachets and mix well. If your scallops are sashimi grade, mix them in at this stage. Serve in individual bowls and garnish with mitsuba leaves or shredded nori.
