Soba no mi, buckwheat as rice

Buckwheat groats (sometimes called buckwheat berries) are called 蕎麦の実 soba no mi in Japanese. Mi means fruit/nut, and maybe that’s not too far from the botanical reality as that’s not really a grain. They are often added to cook together with rice. And they can simply replace rice.

Raw.

Cooked in the rice cooker on brown rice program.

I’ve added a few drops of sesame oil and black sesame for even more nutty flavor. No salt because I add it with :

Umeboshi natto.

Satsuma imo (sweet potato) and mizu nasu.

Platter of steamed veggies : suguna kabocha, satsuma imo, bok choi and chestnuts.

Not a pretty dish… This type of aubergine mizu nasu is usually served raw. I’ve sliced (I did) and cut in ribbons (roughly) the flesh. Salted. Rinsed after 19 minutes and sprinkles shikwasa lime juice.

A nice old fashioned meal.

Far-East vegetable biryani

The inspiration was Indian vegetable biryani. Except that I have changed nearly all ingredients in order to use what I had at home to make this vegan rice-less version. And that’s delicious.

For the gravy, grated onion and spices, then a paste of sesame and coconut.

Green peas, kabocha pumpkin and more onion as vegetables.

My fresh herb is shiso. There is no rice as I said, it’s sorghum, the Chinese grain (kaoliang). It’s well for biryani because it stays apart and takes a firmness comparable to a basmati rice.
I have cooked it till al dente, sprinkled with lemon juice a little oil.

Making the gravy.

Layering. First half of the grain, with shiso and saffron.

The veggie mix. Then more rice, sprinkled with olive oil. And baked 15 minutes.

From the oven. On that, fried onion, walnuts and shiso.

Mouth refresher. Well that’s a feast meal !

GOHAN Japanese rice, A to Z

RICE

The most important ingredient of Japanese cuisine is rice. Japanese rice are of the japonica style, they are round and firm. Outside Japan, you can get some sushi rice, or Italian arborio that are of japanica cultivar too. Sticky rice is a different type, it’s called mochigome in Japanese. Rice has different names in Japanese. Kome, okome, the plant. Gohan, meshi when it’s cooked…

how to cook Japanese rice (without a rice cooker)
genmai brown rice(healthier)
sticky rice

The bowl of unsalted, unflavored but perfectly cooked hot white rice is often present on the the table.
But, you have many variations.

onigiri
The rice “sandwich”. Shape hot rice in your hands.

basic
yaki onigiri (grilled)

domburi

Rice bowls : fill half of a big bowl with hot rice, add some toppings.

gyudon (beef)
tendon (tempura)
oyakodon (mama-baby, chicken egg)
soboro (sloppy joe domburi)
eight treasures

takikomi gohan

Flavored rice dishes. Ingredients are added in the rice-cooker. There are millions of possibilities. A few classics :

chicken rice
kaibashira (scallop)rice
oyster rice

sekihan (red rice)
mame gohan (green peas)
kuri gohan (chestnut)

sushi

Click here to go to the sushi compilation

Bento
Fill a part of your lunch box with rice.

midori okowa
chirashi bento
Unaju (eel)

yakigohan
Stir-fry your rice leftover :

nira fried rice
buta-kimchi rice (pork)
soba meshi (with noodles)

More elaborated dishes :

omurice (omelet filled with rice)
doria (retro baked rice)

o-cha-zuke

Okayu
Rice porridge, often a breakfast.

nanakusa okayu (7 herbs)
red okayu
umeboshi
salmon

More ?
Also see mochi (rice paste), and wagashi (Japanese sweets)

Not your average rice salad, super cooling with neba-neba power

A green rice salad particularly refreshing. It’s loaded with gumbo (okra).

Neba neba, that’s the effect of the cut okra. A sort of strong jelly gets out of it and makes threads… It’s very hydrating. This food is recommended for hot weather.

I’ve mixed grains. 2/3 of genmai brown rice, a little mochi awa foxtail millet (small balls) and hato mugi Job’s Tears(big balls). They all cooked together in the rice cooker, but with 10% more water than usual. Of course no salt.

Okra, the rice mix. Tomato paste, negi leeks. Indian spice mix powder plus fennel seeds.

Some day try to jellifyyour salad sauce. It’s very surprising.
酢醤油寒天 sushoyu kanten : Agar jellified dressing. It’s a mix of soy sauce, cane sugar and rice vinegar, into agar agar.

Fork crumbled. Serve it very cold.

The jelly dressing on top is really pleasant.

It’s very easy to eat. No filling of heavy stomach like after a big dish of starch. The sourness of the jelly and the fennel seeds combine in an original flavor.

Farro bis, a salad

A simple salad with an Italian accent.

I had cold left-over of cooked farro (spelt, wheat berries). With a fresh vinaigrette (olive oil, lemon juice, balsamico, basil, garlic). And lots of bell peppers, new onion.