Hijiki Rice is a colourful Japanese blended rice (takikomi gohan) cooked in seasoned dashi with seaweed, carrots, and aburaage fried tofu. A part of a balanced Japanese food plan for hundreds of years, hijiki is a savory sea vegetable that’s wealthy in minerals and dietary fiber. Get pleasure from this traditional recipe that’s additionally vegan pleasant.
From a younger age, I used to be conscious that I had a really eclectic style when it got here to meals. I all the time liked traditional Japanese ichiju sansai fashion meals with grilled fish, small sides, and rice and miso soup whereas my buddies had been extra all for western meals and yoshoku (western-influenced Japanese meals). I particularly liked every kind of blended rice or takikomi gohan, and this Hijiki Rice was considered one of my favorites.
Once I got here to the US, my school buddies typically gave me a questionable look after they noticed black specs of seaweed in my meals. I used to be somewhat shy again then to elucidate why we eat seaweed, how scrumptious it’s, and why they need to give sea greens a strive. However not anymore! At this time I’d love so that you can uncover this superb rice dish that includes hijiki.
Are You New to Japanese Blended Rice?
Japanese Blended Rice or what we name Takikoki Gohan (炊き込みご飯), is a Japanese dish made with short-grain rice and different substances.
Each season, we get pleasure from rice cooked with recent seasonal substances, resembling inexperienced peas or bamboo shoots in spring, corn in summer season, candy potato or chestnut in fall, and oyster or root greens in winter.
We’d additionally serve blended rice as a substitute of plain white rice to enrich a easy major dish for a colourful and appetizing meal.
Rice is usually cooked with water; nevertheless, for the blended rice, we use dashi, Japanese soup inventory, for extra taste.
Now let’s speak about the primary ingredient for at the moment’s blended rice—hijiki.
What’s Hijiki?
Hijiki (ひじき) is an edible dried seaweed with a black and shredded look. It’s harvested on the rocky coastlines of Japan, Korea, and China. It’s inexperienced to brown when harvested, then turns black when boiled and dried. It’s eaten in Japanese, Chinese language, and Korean delicacies. Have you ever tried it earlier than?
This conventional meals has been part of a balanced food plan in Japan for hundreds of years. It’s wealthy in dietary fiber, nutritional vitamins, calcium, and important minerals.
There are two forms of hijiki seaweed; small smooth “bud” elements referred to as mehijiki (芽ひじき), which I used on this recipe, and lengthy and chewy “stems” elements referred to as nagahijiki (長ひじき), which we don’t often discover right here within the U.S.
When you’re fearful in regards to the warning label on these merchandise, simply know that except you eat a complete package deal value in in the future, you don’t want to fret. Typical consumption received’t have an effect on your well being.
It has a savory and earthy taste with a much less pronounced briny style than different seaweeds resembling wakame and nori. It has a pleasing crunch and a chewy chew after cooking.
The place To Purchase
Discover it within the dried meals aisle of Japanese, Asian, and Korean supermarkets and pure meals shops. You can even purchase it on Amazon.
Tips on how to Use
Earlier than utilizing hijiki in cooking, soak it in chilly water for Half-hour. Drain properly, rinse beneath working water, and it’s prepared to be used.
Tips on how to Make Hijiki Rice (Hijiki Gohan)
Elements You’ll Want
- Japanese short-grain rice
- Hijiki seaweed
- Aburaage (fried tofu pouch)
- Carrot
- Seasonings: Vegan dashi, soy sauce (or tamari), mirin, and salt
This traditional recipe is vegan-friendly with solely plant-based substances. Sometimes, meat will not be included, however you are able to do so by including small items of rooster thighs.
Overview: Cooking Steps
- Make vegan dashi by hydrating kombu and dried shiitake mushrooms.
- Soak hijiki seaweed and reduce all of the substances into small items.
- Rinse rice, and switch to a rice cooker bowl (donabe, pot, or On the spot Pot).
- Add the vegan dashi, seasonings, and substances, and begin cooking.
- Let it steam after cooking, fluff the rice, and serve.
Hijiki Rice Cooking Ideas
- Pay attention to the rice cooker cup – When you have by no means owned a rice cooker, you might not be conscious that the rice is measured with a rice cooker cup. 1 rice cooker cup is 180 ml, equal to three/4 US cup. This measurement is normal for all manufacturers of rice cookers. In case your rice cooker comes with a transparent rice cooker cup, it’s a 180-ml cup.
- The ratio for Japanese short-grain rice to water is 1:1.1 or 1:1.2 – For 1 rice cooker cup (180 ml) of Japanese rice, you will want 200 ml of water or dashi and liquid seasonings ought to be included on this calculation.
- Don’t combine rice and substances – This is applicable to all blended rice recipes. You first want to combine the rice, dashi, and seasonings, however different substances resembling veggies should go on high with out being blended in with the rice. This ensures the rice is cooked evenly. As soon as the rice is finished cooking, then you’ll be able to combine every thing collectively.
- All the time soak Japanese short-grain rice – The short-grain rice is plump (thicker) than different varieties and it wants a head begin to soak up moisture to the core. Soaking for 20-Half-hour is normal.
- Repurpose leftover hijiki rice into onigiri (rice balls) – You’ll be able to form the leftover into rice balls and pack them in your bento lunch field. They had been my favourite sort of onigiri rising up!
What to Serve with Hijiki Rice
Different Scrumptious Blended Rice Recipes
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Hijiki Rice (Takikomi Gohan)
Hijiki Rice is a colourful Japanese blended rice (takikomi gohan) cooked in seasoned dashi with seaweed, carrots, and aburaage fried tofu. A part of a balanced Japanese food plan for hundreds of years, hijiki is a savory sea vegetable that is wealthy in minerals and dietary fiber. Get pleasure from this traditional recipe that is additionally vegan pleasant.
Elements
For the Dashi (Vegan-friendly)
Directions
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Collect all of the substances. Please word that this dashi requires a minimal steeping time of Half-hour. Ideally, we let the dashi steep for 2-3 hours within the summertime and 4-5 hours within the wintertime.
To Make the Dashi
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Put the kombu, dried shiitake mushrooms, and measured water in a measuring cup. Let it steep on the counter for no less than Half-hour to extract the kombu’s taste naturally. Tip: Most Japanese recipes suggest gently cleansing the kombu with a moist material. Nevertheless, the kombu is fairly clear as of late. Simply make sure that to mud off and take away mildew spots, if any. Don’t wash or wipe off the white powdery substance, because it has a number of umami. For the dried shiitake mushrooms, test if there may be any mud or grime trapped within the gills beneath the caps. If there may be, use a pastry brush to clear it off. Don’t wash it beneath water.
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After steeping, it is now prepared to make use of as chilly brew Vegan Dashi.
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Take away the hydrated kombu and shiitake from the measuring cup. See my ideas on the finish of the recipe for how you can repurpose the spent kombu and shiitake. Then, add sufficient water to make 1⅓ cups (320 ml) dashi for 4 servings. Tip: The Japanese short-grain rice-to-water ratio is 1 to 1.1 (or 1.2). On this recipe, the dashi and seasonings collectively are thought-about the “water” unit.
To Hydrate the Hijiki Seaweed
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Rehydrate the hijiki seaweed in loads of water to cowl for 10 minutes. When you use nagahijiki, rehydrate for 20-Half-hour.
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After 10 minutes, drain in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse beneath working water. Put aside.
To Wash the Rice
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Put the rice in a big bowl and add simply sufficient chilly faucet water to submerge the grains. Discard the water instantly (so the rice would not soak up the cloudy water). Subsequent, use your fingers to softly wash the moist grains in a round movement for 15-20 seconds. Add water to rinse and instantly pour off the cloudy water. Repeat this “wash and rinse” course of a pair extra occasions till the water is evident. Drain the rice in a fine-mesh sieve and shake off the surplus water. Put aside whilst you put together the opposite substances.
To Lower the Elements
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Lower the aburaage in half lengthwise, then slice crosswise into skinny strips (¼ inch, 6 mm).
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Lower the carrot into skinny slabs (⅛ inch, 3 mm) lengthwise. Then, reduce the slabs into skinny julienned strips; if they’re too lengthy, reduce the strips in half.
To Prepare dinner the Rice
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To your rice cooker pot (or donabe or heavy-bottomed pot), add the well-drained rice, soy sauce, mirin, sake, and salt.
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Add the dashi. Then, combine the rice and seasonings properly. Gently shake the pot and use your fingers to degree the rice in order that it is evenly distributed and submerged within the water.
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Now, squeeze the hijiki seaweed yet one more time to empty the additional moisture. Then, sprinkle it on high of the rice within the pot. Don’t combine with the rice! Subsequent, scatter the carrot and aburaage on high. Once more, don’t combine with the rice. Tip: The rice is not going to cook dinner evenly if blended with the substances.
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Use chopsticks to softly distribute ONLY the substances throughout the highest of the rice so their flavors will launch evenly. Shut the lid.For an electrical rice cooker, select the Blended Rice menu, if out there; in any other case, use the final setting. Then, begin cooking.For a donabe or heavy-bottomed pot, cook dinner on medium-high warmth for about 13-Quarter-hour.After cooking, let the rice steam for 10-Quarter-hour. Don’t open the lid throughout this time. This resting interval is essential for the rice to steam correctly.
To Use the Spent Kombu and Shiitake