This Japanese Corn Rice recipe is made with fresh sweet corn and rice seasoned with soy sauce and a generous amount of butter. The rich taste of butter and burnt soy sauce brings out the familiar flavor of Japanese street food. A delicious ode to summer!
This Japanese corn rice takes a special place in our family because it is easily the tastiest and satisfying summertime dish. Studded with sweet corn and bursting with a rich taste of butter and umami soy sauce, it is far more exciting than the plain steamed rice.
The beauty lies on its simplicity and versatility—you can literally serve the corn rice with any Japanese meal or other Asian-theme cookout or even a western BBQ. We love serving it with grilled meat and veggies, and sometime we make onigiri rice balls with it and pack them up for a picnic.
When fresh corn on the cob show up in your local market, I hope you will set aside a few and make this recipe!
Table of Contents
What is Japanese Corn Rice?
As the short-grain rice is cooked with other ingredients (sweet corn for this case), this recipe is considered a type of Takikomi Gohan (炊き込みご飯) or Japanese mixed rice. If you cook the corn separately and add to the cooked rice, then it’s called Maze Gohan (混ぜご飯).
Butter Shoyu Flavor
The seasoning cannot be any simpler—mainly salt and soy sauce to enhance the natural sweetness and flavor of corn. Once the rice is cooked, add butter to the hot steamy corn rice. The butter soy sauce (butter shoyu) will impart the most mouthwatering aroma, enough to wake up anyone’s appetite!
3 Flavor Options for This Recipe
After testing the recipe a few times, we as a family have a few suggestions.
Option 1: Salt + sake
If you want to skip the butter, I’d suggest leaving out the soy sauce completely. In our opinion, simple salt-flavored corn rice tastes much better without the soy sauce. Sake is added for the umami and natural sweetness.
Option 2: Butter + soy sauce (this recipe)
This is my personal preference—a moderate amount of butter and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. The overall flavor is more rounded. You can enjoy the rice with the main dish. Here, I enjoy corn rice with beef seasoned with my Homemade Yakiniku Sauce.
Option 3: More butter + more soy sauce
Mr. JOC and our son are partial to this option because it has a richer “butter shoyu” flavor. They both prefer their food to have a stronger taste. It comes down to your preference. Regardless of how you choose to season it, each one is equally delicious. The only difference for Option 3 is the rice will have a much darker color from the amount of soy sauce used.
Ingredients for Japanese Corn Rice
- Ears of corn
- Japanese short-grain rice
- Salt
- Sake
- Soy sauce
- Butter (I use unsalted; if you use salted butter, adjust the amount of salt)
- Freshly ground black pepper
How to Make Japanese Corn Rice
- Remove corn from the cobs
- Rinse rice and add to the heavy-bottomed pot (I used this Hario Gohangama; you can use a rice cooker)
- Add seasonings, water, and corn (and cobs) on top.
- Cook the rice and let steam.
- Put the butter and freshly ground black pepper on top and fluff up the rice before serving.
How To Adjust the Amount of Rice
For Japanese cooking, we calculate the amount of rice based on a rice cooker cup. One rice cooker cup is 180 ml or ¾ US cup.
For this recipe, I used 3 rice cooker cups of short-grain rice which yield roughly 5-6 people. Depending on the amount you would like to serve, please adjust the total rice cooking liquid as follows:
- 1 Rice Cooker Cup (180 ml or ¾ cup): 200 ml (2 tsp sake + 1 tsp soy sauce + water)
- 2 Rice Cooker Cups (360 ml or 1½ cups): 400 ml (4 tsp sake + 2 tsp soy sauce + water)
- 3 Rice Cooker Cups (540 ml or 2¼ cups): 600 ml (2 Tbsp sake + 1 Tbsp soy sauce + water)
- 4 Rice Cooker Cups (720 ml or 3 cups): 800 ml (2.5 Tbsp sake + 1.5 Tbsp soy sauce + water)
- 5 Rice Cooker Cups (900 ml or 3¾ cups): 1000 ml (3 Tbsp sake + 2 Tbsp soy sauce + water)
Cooking Tips
- Use fresh corn. For a simple dish like this, it is common sense to use fresh, raw corn on the cob.
- Remove kernels from cobs. Hold the cob steady. With a sharp knife, make long downward strokes on the cob, separating kernels from the cob. You can also buy this corn kernel peeler but I honestly prefer using a knife.
- Always soak Japanese short-grain rice. The amount of liquid for cooking the rice is the same as cooking white rice despite the addition of corn kernels. However, the seasonings (sake and soy sauce) should be included in the total liquid. I recommend adding the seasonings and filling up the required amount of liquid with water.
- Add the cobs to the rice. The cobs have a lot of concentrated sweetness, so don’t throw them away! Include them in the pot (or rice cooker) for more flavor! Cut into desirable smaller pieces so the cobs will fit in your pot.
This is truly a quick and easy recipe that celebrates the best of summer produce, so I hope you find joy in making it!
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Japanese Corn Rice
Video
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups uncooked Japanese short-grain white rice (450 g, 3 rice cooker cups; to adjust the rice amount, read the blog post)
- 2 ears sweet corn (large, with husks; about 12.2 oz, 345 g each)
For the Rice Cooking Liquid (2½ cups, 600 ml total)
- 2 Tbsp sake
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2⅓ cups water
- 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For Serving
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter (or more, if you‘d like; use vegan butter for vegan)
- soy sauce (for drizzling; optional)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. To see the metric measurements, click the Metric button above. The ratio of white rice to water is 1 : 1.1 (or 1.2). I cooked this recipe in my Hario donabe, but you can use a rice cooker (same measurements, and start cooking as usual) or a heavy-bottomed pot (for better heat distribution).
To Rinse the Rice
- To a large bowl, add 2¼ cups uncooked Japanese short-grain white rice and just enough water to completely submerge the rice. Then, discard the water immediately (so the rice doesn‘t absorb the cloudy water). Tip: Rice absorbs water very quickly when you start rinsing, so don‘t let the rice absorb the first few rounds of water.
- Use your fingers to gently wash the rice in a circular motion for 15–20 seconds.
- Add water to rinse, then discard the water. Repeat this process a couple of times until the water is nearly clear.
- When the water is almost clear, drain well. Tip: Use a fine-mesh sieve to drain and shake off the excess water.
To Prepare the Corn
- Peel away the outer leaves from the 2 ears sweet corn until only one thin layer of inner leaves remains. Grasp the top of the leaves and the tassel together in one hand and pull them straight down in one firm tug, inverting the husk from the cob. Break off the leaves and silks from the ear‘s base and discard them. Pick away any remaining silks. Rinse under cold running water.
- Lay the corn cob on the cutting board and hold it steady. Use a sharp knife to slice off the kernels in long, downward cuts. You can also use a corn kernel peeler, but I prefer using a knife for this task. Once you‘ve cut off all the kernels, cut the cobs in half or smaller pieces (so they fit in your pot).
To Prepare the Corn Rice
- In a measuring cup, add 2 Tbsp sake and 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and then add 2⅓ cups water. You should have a total of 2½ cups (600 ml) cooking liquid. Tip: If you like well-seasoned rice, you can increase the soy sauce, but make sure to reduce the water by the same amount so your total cooking liquid is still 2½ cups (600 ml).
- Add the well-drained rice in a heavy-bottomed pot or donabe (or rice cooker pot). Then, add the cooking liquid that you just measured.
- Add 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and mix well. Level the rice so the surface is evenly flat.
- Add the corn kernels on top in an even layer. DO NOT MIX with the rice. The rice will not cook evenly if mixed with other ingredients.
- Put the cobs on top of the corn and close the lid. Let the rice soak for 20–30 minutes before cooking. It‘s important to soak Japanese short-grain rice so the rounded grains absorb moisture to the core and cook evenly.
To Cook the Corn Rice
- Start cooking on medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once it‘s boiling, reduce the heat to low and cook for 13–15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and remove from the stove. DO NOT OPEN THE LID. Leave the lid on and let it steam for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, open the lid and remove the cobs.
- Sprinkle with ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper and add 2 Tbsp unsalted butter on top. Drizzle with additional soy sauce, if desired.
To Serve
- Cover the lid and bring the pot to the table. Gently fluff the rice and serve immediately.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3–4 days or in the freezer for 1 month.
How have I never made this before now?!? I have no excuse, but I tried it today, and it is so delicious! Even the smell from the rice cooker before it was done was making my mouth water. I think it has become one of my new favorite dishes!
Hi Melissa! We are so happy to hear you enjoyed Japanese Corn Rice!🥰
Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
I just made this corn rice for dinner with baked fish, and it was delicious!!!
Hi Tiffany! We are so happy to hear you enjoyed the Japanese Corn Rice!
Thank you so much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback. Happy Cooking!
So, I have been making this recipe with frozen rice and we loved it!
Since now it’s summer and this years corn is amazing, I made it with fresh corn and let me tell you that the difference is big! Like amazingly better! The taste is fresh and the corn is crunchy (the frozen one becomes a tiny bit too soft) We loved it!
Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Ildi! We’re thrilled to hear you tried this dish using fresh corn.
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and taking the time to share your cooking experience with us.
Happy Cooking!
Wondering if there is recipe for corn-rice casserole using miso
Hi DEH, Thank you so much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe.
We do not have a Corn miso rice recipe, but you may replace the soy sauce with miso for miso flavor.
We hope this works for you!
I just made this last night, it was amazing! You could smell the corn as it was cooking, the whole kitchen smelled great. Will definitely make again!
Hi Judy! We are so happy to hear you enjoyed the Japanese Corn Rice!
Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us.
Happy Cooking!
Hi Naomi
Thanks for this recipe. So Yummy.
Btw Naomi, I have some questions:
1. for the Nutrition that stated above… it contains 404 Kcal.
404Kcal is for how many serving?
And for 1 serving is it equal to 100gram of rice corn?
2. If it for weigh loss, should I omit the butter part?
Thanks In advance Naomi 🙂
Hi Yenly! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
We are glad to hear you enjoyed Japanese Corn Rice.☺️
1. The nutrition information is for approximately one serving which is 1/5 of this recipe. (This recipe makes 5 servings) The one serving of cooked rice is around 200g for this recipe, and for corn rice, add 1/5 of corn weight to the 200g.
2. To reduce the Calories, yes, you can omit the butter, it will cut down about 40 kcal/serving. But for weight loss, we recommend consulting a personal nutritionist.
We hope this helps!🙂
Hi Naomi.. thanks for your replied 😊
My Son and Daughter love this corn rice too 🤭
Will re-cook it again. Not only because it taste so Yummy.. but it’s also contains low calories 🤭😄
You are welcome, Yenly! We are happy to hear everyone loves Corn Rice!
Happy Cooking!
I just made this for lunch today with salmon teriyaki (also your recipe). So yummy, will surely make again. By the way, I used canned corn and still good!
Hi Oyster! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us!
We are so happy to hear canned corn worked well for you!😊
I am going to make this right now as I have everything to make it. Left over Japanse Curry for dinner.
Hi Barbara! We hope you enjoyed Japanese Corn Rice!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Hello Namiko!
I’ve made this recipe quite a few times. It’s delicious!
I was just reading it to make it again for today’s lunch and realised that it says:
Is that a misspelling for the 4tsp sake for the 2 cups rice? It seems much compared to the 2Tbsp for the 3 cups rice…
Or is it just me?…
Btw in winter I use frozen corn or canned corn, not the same but still very very yummy!
Thank you for your hard work!
All the recipes I’ve tried from here were super good and easy to follow!
It’s a life saver for a foreigner living in Tokyo!
Hi ildiko! Nami and all of us at JOC are so glad to hear that you’ve been enjoying the recipes and everything else that we share. It means so much to us.💞
The Sake amount in this recipe is 2 teaspoons each for every 1 rice cooker cup. So if 3 rice cooker cups, the Sake will be 6 teaspoons. 6 teaspoons are equal to US 2 Tablespoons. The ratio is still the same.😉
We hope this helps!
Hi Nami,
Can I use iron cast pot for this recipe?
And I think I saw you posted a recipe that goes well with this corn rice on your instagram story. But I can not remember what dish it was. It’s something that you suggest to put on the corn rice, if I’m not mistaken. Can you tell me what dish it was? Many thanks, Nami. Your recipe is always super delicious. 🙂
Hi Puan! Do you mean a Dutch oven? Sure! I shared my Teppanyaki recipe (I cooked thinly sliced beef with my favorite Teppanyaki sauce). https://www.justonecookbook.com/teppanyaki/
Hope you enjoy!
I made this for dinner and it was fantastic! I purchased the pot that you used to cook it in and it makes the BEST steamed rice. Thank!
Hi Tish! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
We are so happy to hear you enjoyed Corn rice and the pot! 😊
Hi Nami,
I made this the other day with some of the last corn of the season and it was terrific! I used short-grain brown rice in my Instant Pot, and the nuttiness of the rice was a very nice complement to the corn flavor. (I’m hoping there will still be a little bit of corn at the grocery so I can make it again without waiting until next summer.)
And when I was talking to my 92 year-old mother last night, I mentioned that I had tried something new. She said it wasn’t new at all, and told me about her mother and their neighbors making corn rice because of the food shortages when she grew up in Tokyo during WWII. Her memory has been fading for the past few years, but corn rice prompted some good memories for her – her mother being creative cooking with what was available, and enjoying some of her creative ideas!
Hi Ken! Thank you for trying this recipe and sharing your heartwarming stories with us! I’m so happy to hear you got to talk to her about corn rice with your mom. Food really triggers fond memories in the past. I heard similar stories of food shortages during that time, too. Tomorokosohi Gohan has been around in Japan for some time although this dish is not so well-known outside of Japan. I’m glad you got to cook this dish (and brown rice and in Instant Pot! whoo hoo!) before corn season is over. Thank you again for your kind feedback.
Nami-san,
I got a question. If i were to use vegan butter, which usually quite salty, can i omit the salt & simply use light color soy sauce?
Thank you
Hi Ima! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Yes! Please omit the salt and adjust the salt level to your taste! However, Light color soy sauce usually contains more salt than regular soy sauce. If you are trying to cut down the salt, we recommend using low sodium soy sauce instead.
We hope this helps!
So easy and flavorful!
Hi Alice! We are so happy to hear you enjoyed Japanese Corn Rice!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback.🙂
Can I not use the sake?
Hi Raya! Sure, you can skip Sake or use alternatives. https://www.justonecookbook.com/sake/
We hope this helps!