Wooden rice bowls containing gobo and miso takikomi gohan or Japanese mixed rice dish withburdock root and carrots seasoned with miso.

Miso is a well-known seasoning that we add to Japanese soup, salad dressing, fish, chicken, and more. However, did you know that you can add miso to rice as well? Let me show you how I use fermented soybean paste to add savoriness to mixed rice in my delicious Gobo and Miso Takikomi Gohan recipe!

Wooden rice bowls containing gobo and miso takikomi gohan or Japanese mixed rice dish withburdock root and carrots seasoned with miso.

What is Takikomi Gohan?

Takikomi gohan (炊き込みご飯) is a Japanese mixed rice dish typically seasoned with soy sauce and other savory seasonings. In Japan, we add different kinds of vegetables, meat, and mushrooms depending on the season. This way, we can enjoy the food each season offers and get extra nutrition instead of just plain white rice.

People are always creative about the ingredients they add to takikomi gohan. Today, I added gobo (burdock root) and leftover fish cake called chikuwa. I seasoned it with miso this time because the savory taste goes really well with both ingredients. If you’re tired of just plain rice, I hope you will add my Gobo and Miso Takikomi Gohan recipe to your repertoire!

Wooden rice bowls containing gobo and miso takikomi gohan or Japanese mixed rice dish withburdock root and carrots seasoned with miso.

Ingredients You’ll Need

This simple recipe requires a short list of ingredients. It’s easy to customize, too!

  • Japanese short-grain rice
  • water — you can substitute it with dashi (Japanese soup stock) for extra flavor and umami
  • gobo (burdock root)
  • chikuwa (fish cake) — or substitute a different protein like chicken, aburaage, or tofu
  • carrot — try different vegetables like shiitake mushrooms, peas, or shio kombu
  • miso I use koji miso or awase miso
  • soy sauce, mirin, and sake — vary the seasonings with salt, sesame oil, or the condiments of your choice
  • yuzu kosho (Japanese citrus chili paste) — optional, for serving
  • shredded nori seaweed — for garnish
Jump to Recipe

How To Make Gobo and Miso Takikomi Gohan

This staple of Japanese home cooking is so easy to make in your rice cooker!

  1. Wash the rice and drain it well. Add the drained rice to the inner pot of a rice cooker. If you don’t have one, you can use a pot over the stoveInstant Pot, or donabe. You can see my Instant Pot Takikomi Gohan recipe to see the method I use.
  2. Prepare the ingredients. Peel, thinly slice, and soak the gobo. Cut and thinly slice the carrot and chikuwa. Mix the seasonings in a small bowl.
  3. Add the seasonings, water, and ingredients on top of the rice in the rice cooker. Do not mix them into the rice. Close the lid.
  4. Cook. Then, gently mix and serve hot!
Wooden rice bowls containing gobo and miso takikomi gohan or Japanese mixed rice dish withburdock root and carrots seasoned with miso.

3 Cooking Tips for Gobo and Miso Takikomi Gohan

  1. Thinly cut the ingredients so they cook through faster and become tender. This works best when pairing with tender and moist Japanese rice. If you leave the ingredients chunky, they will stay firm and won’t match the soft texture of the cooked rice.
  2. Add the seasonings to the rice first, then add enough water to reach the correct water line on the rice cooker’s inner pot.
  3. Do not mix the vegetables and chikuwa into the rice before cooking. Scatter all the ingredients on top so that the rice cooks evenly.

How To Store

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the freezer for a month. I prefer freezing the takikomi gohan since cooked rice gets hard and dry when refrigerated. You can read more about it in my tutorial How to Store Cooked Rice.

Mixed Rice Dishes You’ll Love

There are many delicious variations of Japanese mixed rice. Try some of my recipes, or customize your own!

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4.75 from 16 votes

Gobo and Miso Takikomi Gohan

Gobo and Miso Takikomi Gohan is a Japanese mixed rice dish with burdock root and carrots. In this version, I add miso to the soy sauce-based seasonings to bump up the umami factor. Enjoy this delicious mixed rice in place of white rice at any meal.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Soaking: 20 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 6

Ingredients 
 

For the Seasonings

  • 4 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 Tbsp miso (I use koji miso or awase miso; some brands of miso are saltier than others, so please adjust accordingly)
  • 2 Tbsp mirin
  • 1 Tbsp sake

Instructions

  • Before You Start…Please note that this recipe requires 20 minutes of soaking rice time.
    Gather all the ingredients. Rinse 2¼ cups uncooked Japanese short-grain white rice until the water is almost clear. If you‘re not sure how to rinse the rice properly, see the rinsing section of my tutorial How to Make Rice. Drain well in a fine-mesh strainer, shaking off the water out. Transfer to the inner bowl of the rice cooker. Tip: If you don‘t have a rice cooker, see how to cook short-grain rice with a pot over the stoveInstant Pot, or donabe.
    Gobo and Miso Takikomi Gohan Ingredients
  • Peel 1 gobo (burdock root). Cut it in half lengthwise, then thinly slice it diagonally.
    Gobo and Miso Takikomi Gohan 1
  • In a medium bowl, soak the gobo in water for 15 minutes to prevent it from changing color. Change the water a few times and drain well.
    Gobo and Miso Takikomi Gohan 2
  • Peel 1 carrot. Cut it in half lengthwise and slice thinly. Cut 2 pieces chikuwa (fish cake) into thin pieces.
    Gobo and Miso Takikomi Gohan 3
  • In a small bowl, combine 4 Tbsp soy sauce, 3 Tbsp miso, 2 Tbsp mirin, and 1 Tbsp sake and mix well. Pour the seasonings into the rice cooker.
    Gobo and Miso Takikomi Gohan 4
  • Mix well, and then add water up to the 3-cup line on the inner bowl.
    Gobo and Miso Takikomi Gohan 5
  • Add the gobo root, carrot, and chikuwa on top of the rice. Do not mix together with rice. Rice cooks evenly when it‘s not mixed with other ingredients. Place in the rice cooker, let the rice soak for 20 minutes, and then start cooking. If you have a Mixed Rice option, use it (see Notes below).
    Gobo and Miso Takikomi Gohan 6
  • When the rice is done cooking, wait 10 minutes before you open the rice cooker to allow it to finish steaming. Mix well and serve the Takikomi Gohan with yuzu kosho (Japanese citrus chili paste) for spicy taste and garnish with shredded nori seaweed (kizami nori).
    Wooden rice bowls containing gobo and miso takikomi gohan or Japanese mixed rice dish withburdock root and carrots seasoned with miso.

To Store

  • You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the freezer for a month. I prefer freezing the cooked rice to refrigerating it. You can read more about it in my tutorial How to Store Cooked Rice.

Notes

Regular or Mixed Rice setting on rice cooker: The main difference is that Mixed Rice setting will create burnt rice called “Okoge” on the bottom of the rice cooker. Takikomi Gohan (mixed rice) always have the burnt rice from soy sauce in the seasoning, and many people enjoy the burnt charred rice. If your rice cooker doesn’t have the mixed rice option, steam an extra 5 min longer at the end before opening the rice cooker.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 345kcal, Carbohydrates: 70g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 0.2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Sodium: 988mg, Potassium: 213mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 1725IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 39mg, Iron: 2mg

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