Sansai Okowa (Sweet Rice with Edible Ferns)
Servings Prep Time
6people 15minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
30minutes 8 hours
Servings Prep Time
6people 15minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
30minutes 8 hours
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. (On the day before the cooking) Rinse sweet rice quickly under running water (no need to scru the rice) and soak it in plenty of clean water overnight.
  2. (On the day before the cooking) Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in 2 cups of water overnight.
  3. On the cooking day, julienne carrots into and inch long strips, slice burdock root thinly into an inch long strips (or shave it thinly using sasagaki cutting method). Squeeze water out of the dried mushrooms ad slice the mushrooms thinly. Rinse aburaage with hot tap water, squeeze excess water and chop it into 1/4 squares.
  4. Strain the sansai mix of water.
  5. Cut green onion into thin slices. Or you use mitsuba, chop the greens coarsely
  6. Optionally cut chickin thigh into 1/4 inch squares.
  7. In a medium sized sauce pan, put the shiitake soaked water and heat it over high heat.
  8. Add in sake, mirin, 2 teaspoons of salt and soy sauce.
  9. Add in all the vegetables, sansai and abura age (and chicken if you use it). Cook the ingredients until they are just cooked for about 10 minutes.
  10. Using a collandar, strain the cooked solids of the liquid. Reserve the liquids in a bowl.
Using a rice cooker
  1. Strain sweet rice of water and put the rice in the rice cooker. Add the reserved liquid in to the level “3 cups fo mixed rice”. Add in the solid ingredients on top. Cook the rice mixture as instructed for the rice cooker.
Using a steamer
  1. Use a two layered steamer. In the bottom pan, fill water in. Put the top layer on, speard a cotton cloth wide enough to cover the entire bottom and sides, put a lid on and heat the steamer over high heat.
  2. Once the steamer starts boiling (i.e. steam comes out of the steamer vigorously), add in sweet rice. Put the lid back on and cook for 15 miutes until the rice is just cooked but maintains al dente consistency.
  3. Transfer the cooked rice into the reserved liquied in the bowl. Coat the irce in the liquid well. Transfer the rice back into the steamer. Put the lid back on. Cook another 5 minutes.
  4. Place the solid ingredients on top of the rice in the steamer. Cook for another 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the rice. If it’s fully cooked then it’s done. Cook another 5 minutes if necessary.
  5. Transfre the okowa into a large bowl and toss it with the vegetables well using a spatula. Add another 1 teaspoon of salt if needed .Garnish wtih chopped gren onion or mitsuba.