Shiitake-Gohan (Shiitake Mushroom Rice)

Ingredients (serves 4-6):

To Prepare in Advance:

5 medium dried shiitake mushrooms
1 cup water to soak shiitake (reserve)
2 Tbsp. sake (rice wine)
2 Tbsp. shoyu (soy sauce)
2 Tbsp. mirin (Japanese sweet sake)

To Cook in the Rice Cooker:

3 cups (rice measuring cup) short or medium grain white rice
Water to fill to water level 3 for "WHITE RICE"

To Prepare Separately:

Stone parsley to taste
Sliced ginger to taste

Ingredients (serves 2-3):

To Prepare in Advance:

2-1/2 medium dried shiitake mushrooms
1/2 cup water to soak shiitake (reserve)
1 Tbsp. sake (rice wine)
1 Tbsp. shoyu (soy sauce)
1 Tbsp. mirin (Japanese sweet sake)

To Cook in the Rice Cooker:

1.5 cups (rice measuring cup) short or medium grain white rice
Water to fill to water level 1.5 for "WHITE RICE"

To Prepare Separately:

Stone parsley to taste
Sliced ginger to taste

Soak the shiitake mushroom in water for 30 minutes to an hour to reconstitute. Reserve the stock. Slice the shiitake and cook briefly in the reserved stock, sake, shoyu and mirin.

Measure rice accurately using the measuring cup that came with your rice cooker. Rinse rice until water clears, drain and place in the inner cooking pan. Add the stock from step 1 and add water to the corresponding water level for “WHITE RICE.”

Add the cooked shiitake from step 1, and mix well. Cook the rice using the “MIXED” setting.

When rice completes cooking, open the lid and fluff the rice to loosen and serve.

Top with chopped stone parsley and sliced ginger.