Takikomi Gohan is a wonderful and comforting Japanese mixed rice recipe made with seasonal ingredients. This recipe is also gluten free!
One of the easiest ways to include more vegetables in your diet is to add vegetables to your rice. When your main course is a simple dish such as grilled fish, Japanese Mixed Rice or Takikomi Gohan (炊き込みご飯) brings up more flavors and varieties to the meal.
What is Takikomi Gohan?
Takikomi Gohan is a Japanese rice dish in which short-grain rice is cooked with vegetables, mushrooms, seafood, or meat. It’s usually seasoned with Japanese stock (dashi) and soy sauce.
Depending on where you are/live in Japan, this dish might be called Kayaku Gohan (かやくご飯) or Gomoku Gohan (五目ご飯), 5-ingredient mixed rice, which is loosely translated because there are roughly five ingredients.
There is also a very similar dish called Maze Gohan (混ぜご飯). Unlike Takikomi Gohan where uncooked rice and other ingredients are cooked in the same pot, Maze Gohan is the cooked rice mixed with cooked and seasoned ingredients.
Do any of these names sound familiar to you?
Takikomi Gohan Ingredients
What are good ingredients to put in your Takikomi Gohan recipe? Let’s start with the most basic one, which is today’s recipe.
Basic Ingredients
A simple Takikomi Gohan is made with white rice, carrots, burdock root (gobo), konnyaku (a wobbly jello-o like slab made of taro/yam), deep-fried tofu pouch (aburaage), and shiitake mushrooms. These are the most common ingredients that you expect to see in Takikomi Gohan. If you use kombu dashi, this dish is vegetarian and vegan.
Some variations include chicken thigh or breast adding more flavors to the dish, and I’ve made today’s recipe with chicken thigh.
Popular Ingredients
Besides the basic ingredients I mentioned above, these are other popular and seasonal ingredients used in Takikomi Gohan.
- Bamboo shoots – spring
- Beef (thinly sliced or scraps)
- Canned tuna
- Chestnuts (recipe) – fall
- Clams or Asari (あさり)
- Hijiki seaweed
- Matsutake Mushrooms (recipe) – fall
- Mushrooms – king oyster, maitake, shimeji, etc
- Pacific saury or Sanma (秋刀魚) – fall
- Peas
- Sweet potatoes
Japanese enjoy making different Takikomi Gohan depending on the season, and I’ll be sharing them on my blog in the future.
How To Make the Best Takikomi Gohan
Here are some important tips and techniques to remember when you make Takikomi Gohan.
1) Keep portion in control
I tend to add too many ingredients when I make this dish and it doesn’t feel like a rice dish anymore. So, keep in mind that the ingredients should be roughly 20-30% of cooked rice when it’s done cooking (eyeball this, it doesn’t have to be perfect). If you put too many of these ingredients, they will absorb all the liquid in the rice cooker and the rice will not be properly cooked.
2) Soak rice in water
It’s very important to soak rice after washing it. It will help the rice to absorb the flavors from the ingredients and seasonings. It will also help the rice become fluffier and tender.
After proper soaking, make sure to drain the water for at least 15 minutes. This is very important so that when you add to the rice cooker bowl, you won’t incidentally add any extra water that’s not called for in the recipe which could dilute the seasonings. Also, be sure not to drain too long because the rice will crack when it gets too dry.
You might think allowing the rice to soak in seasoning adds more flavor to the dish. However, it’s best to start cooking immediately before seasonings separate into layers.
3) Do not mix rice and other ingredients before Cooking
Rice and ingredients should be mixed together only after the rice is cooked. The rice gets cooked properly (due to the circulation of heat and water) when it’s cooked at the bottom of the rice cooker bowl (or even pot).
When you are adding ingredients on top of the rice, place hard ingredients like root vegetables first, then gradually to softer ingredients on top.
Immediately after Takikomi Gohan is done cooking, fluff up the rice with a rice paddle as if you are cutting the rice and then scoop over to gently mix the rice and ingredients all together.
Takikomi Gohan vs. Maze Gohan
Remember, Takikomi Gohan is the rice COOKED WITH ingredients. Maze Gohan is the cooked rice MIXED with cooked ingredients. Some of you might wonder which method is better, and here are my thoughts.
When you cook together, the rice absorbs more flavors from the ingredients. However, it also means that the ingredients are being cooked the same amount of time the rice is being cooked, so the ingredients can become harder and tougher.
Therefore, if you use ingredients that you want to keep tender and don’t want to lose the texture, I recommend cooking it separately and mix it with rice later. Scallops are a good example: they don’t need to be cooked for a long time. If you cook with rice, the scallops will be overcooked and dry.
On the other hand, if the ingredients are dry (like hijiki seaweed and dried shiitake mushrooms) and it takes time for them to release the flavors, cook it together with rice. Also if the ingredients you use are flavorful, cook together with rice.
Do you have an Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker)?
No rice cooker? You can make Takikomi Gohan in your Instant Pot too! Check out the detailed recipe here: Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Takikomi Gohan.
Use Gluten-Free Soy Sauce for GF Takikomi Gohan
This Takikomi Gohan recipe can be easily converted to a gluten-free dish if you use gluten-free soy sauce.
Kikkoman offers this gluten-free tamari soy sauce. If you want to know more about this product, please click here.
If you’re gluten intolerant, check out my Gluten-Free Recipes for additional recipe ideas.
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Takikomi Gohan (Japanese Mixed Rice)
Video
Ingredients
- 2 rice cooker cups uncooked Japanese short-grain rice (2 rice-cooker-cups (180 ml x 2 = 360 ml) yields roughly 4 servings (3 ½ US cups))
- 3 dried shiitake mushrooms (0.5 oz, 15 g)
- ½ cup water
- ⅓ package konnyaku (konjac) (3 oz, 85 g)
- 1 piece aburaage (deep-fried tofu pouch) (¾ oz, 20 g)
- 2 oz carrot (3", 7.5 cm)
- 1 oz gobo (burdock root) (4", 10 cm)
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken thigh (4.8 oz, 135 g)
- 1 ½ cup dashi (Japanese soup stock; click to learn more)
- 1 ½ Tbsp mirin
- 1 ½ Tbsp soy sauce
- mitsuba (Japanese parsley) (you can substitute it with green onion/scallion)
Instructions
- Prepare all the ingredients.
- Wash the rice in a large bowl. Rice absorbs water very quickly when you start washing, so don't let the rice absorb the opaque water. Gently wash the rice in a circular motion and discard the water. Repeat this process about 3-4 times.
- Let the rice soak in water for 30-60 minutes. This helps the rice absorb the seasonings later on and become more tender and moist after cooking. Transfer the rice into a sieve and drain completely for at least 15 minutes. Place the washed and drained rice in the rice cooker.
- Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients. Soak 3 dried shiitake mushrooms in a ½ cup of water for 15 minutes. I place a smaller bowl on top to keep the mushrooms submerged in the water at all times.
- In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to boil. Put ⅓ konnyaku and cook for 1 minute to get rid of the smell. Transfer the konnyaku to a plate to cool. Add the aburaage to the same pot of water and cook for 1 minute. This removes excess oil from the aburaage. Transfer aburaage to a plate to cool. Discard the water.
- Shave off the gobo skin with the back of the knife. Don’t peel the gobo with a peeler to keep the earthy flavor and fragrance. Then make a “cross” slit on tip of the gobo as you see in the picture below.
- Make a lengthwise cross-shape incision about 1 ½ inch (3.8 cm) deep at one end. Shave from that end as if you were sharpening a pencil with a knife while constantly rotating with the other hand. Soak in the water to prevent it from changing color.
- Cut the carrot in half lengthwise and cut diagonally into thin slices. Then cut the slices into julienned or smaller pieces.
- Cut the aburaage and konnyaku into thin small strips.
- Cut the chicken thigh into ¾ inch (2 cm) slanted pieces. Hold your knife at 45-degree angle and slice the chicken. This “sogigiri” cutting technique gives the chicken more surface area so it will cook faster and soak up flavors quickly.
- Squeeze the liquid from dried shiitake mushrooms and save the liquid (this is called Shiitake Dashi). Remove the stem and cut the caps into thinly slices.
- Strain the Shiitake Dashi into a bowl through a fine mesh strainer to get rid of dirty particles. Set aside. In a measuring cup, add all the shiitake dashi and then pour dashi so you’ll have 1 ½ cup (360 ml) of liquid. Add it to the rice cooker and mix well.
- Now your ingredients are ready!
- Add 1 ½ Tbsp soy sauce and 1 ½ Tbsp mirin to the rice.
- Pour the dashi & shiitake dashi mixture into the rice and mix well.
- Add the chicken and evenly distribute over the rice. Do NOT mix the rice with ingredients. The rice won’t be able to absorb enough water to cook and it will end up with a hard texture. Continue from the hard ingredients to softer ingredients. Without mixing all up, start cooking the rice. If you have a “Mixed Rice” option, use it (See Notes below).
- Once the rice is done cooking, use a rice paddle to stir the rice and vegetables with light slicing and tossing motions to distribute the ingredients evenly. The bottom of the rice gets slightly caramelized, and this part is called Okoge and it’s especially tasty.
- Serve the rice hot or at room temperature. Sprinkle chopped mitsuba or green onion on top.
To Store
- You can keep the leftover rice in the freezer for up to a month. I don't recommend storing it in the refrigerator as the rice gets too dry and hard.
Notes
Nutrition
Full Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Kikkoman USA. Thoughts and opinions stated are my own.
Hi Namiko! I have the same rice cooker as you and tried the mixed rice version, but there wasn’t the burnt bottom, any idea why?
Hi Lisa! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
We are not sure why your rice cooker didn’t burn the bottom of the rice….🤔 Next time, please don’t turn off or unplug the rice cooker, and try leaving the lid closed for extra 5 minutes after it finished cooking. It should burn the bottom for sure.
We hope this helps!
Wow! Many months ago I tried to make this in my Instant Pot and got the “BURNED“ message. Recently we bought a new Zojirushi rice cooker that had my dream setting of Mixed Rice.
Just used your recipe tonight for the first time with the mixed rice settingt, O My Goodness! So fragrant, delicious, and surprisingly filling (we made it our entire meal)
Hi Tina! We are glad to hear you enjoyed Takikomi Gohan!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us!
Hi Nami, maybe I am mistaken, but I think you had a recipe for mushroom rice with just a mix of different mushrooms . Am I wrong? Do you have a recipe? If not, and I use only mushrooms, can I use the water of the shitake dehydration? and how else should I season the rice? mirin? sake? soy sauce? Dashi? Thank you for your amazing blog. I keep cooking Japanese with your recipes, slowly, little by little. What’s sad is that Japanese ingredients are very expensive. There is one shop in another city that makes deliveries, and to me a Japanese meal is pricey-but I treat this a gourmet-which it is for me. Thank you so much. You are amazing 🙂
Hi Nanny, Thank you for your kind feedback! Nami is very happy to hear that you are trying much Japanese cooking using our site even though it is challenging to procure Japanese ingredients. Thank you. 🥰
Currently, We have Matsutake Gohan (Wild Pine Mushroom Rice) rice on our site. https://www.justonecookbook.com/matsutake-gohan/
This recipe is not a mix of different types of mushrooms, but it can be a guide, and yes, you can use Shiitake Dashi, Awase Dashi, or Kombu Dashi to make it. We hope this helps!
Hi Nami:
I am interested in making this Takikomi Gohan recipe, but for my family it needs more chicken. I am thinking of adding 4 chicken thighs. If I add more chicken, can I just double the recipe of everything else, except the rice and dashi? or should I also dd an additional 2 cups of rice and dashi.
thanks for your help.
blessings,
Kirie
Hi Kirie, Thank you very much for trying this recipe!
If you add 4 chicken thighs and don’t need additional rice, you may skip doubling rice, dashi, and water. We hope this helps!
Hi Nami-san,
Wow! I was surprised at the number of comments you received for this recipe but I can understand since this dish is fairly simple, easy and delicious! Prior to seeing this blog, I tried making this several ways, some of which didn’t turn out ideally although still okay but that’s what I enjoy about cooking new things. Trying different things, using different ingredients or combinations of such, is part of the joy to me. I once tried using sushi rice su instead of water but that didn’t work quite right although still okay but this is just an example — no harm in simply trying or experimenting.
I’d like to say that your recipes and tips are really good and helpful. I.e. not mixing the rice with all the ingredients before cooking; putting the tougher ingredients first and then softer ones on top, etc., things that I didn’t think of while first trying to make takigoma rice.
I enjoy looking at your blogs/recipes and now, even the comments of others. Thank you.
Hi Dan, We are glad to hear you enjoy Nami’s recipes and tips! Thank you very much for your kind feedback!❤️
Hi Nami-san again.
I know that you didn’t recommend keeping leftovers in the refrigerator since the rice tends to get drier or hard (or something to that effect) and I wanted to make a suggestion that I got from my Mom: For any rice dish such as takikomi gohan, maze gohan, inari sushi, etc., keep it in a plastic, glass container, or clear plastic wrap, then wrap the entire thing in cloth such as a cotton dish towel to keep it from drying out. It should be fine the next day or two.
Happy eating.
Hi Dan, Thank you very much for sharing your mom’s tip with us! Happy eating!😊
Hi Nami,
Can I cook this dish in Instant pot?
Hi Nancy, Yes! Nami has a recipe!
https://www.justonecookbook.com/instant-pot-takikomi-gohan/
We hope you enjoy it!
I enjoyed the recipe. But, I may leave the konnyaku out next time, as it didn’t, in my opinion, seem to add a great deal to the recipe, other than another texture. I did, however, like the addition of the water chestnuts that I added, as it was nice counterpoint (crunchy texture) to the soft rice. Thank you for the suggestion. The flavours were good & I think this would be a nice fall/winter meal.
Hi Peckish! Takikomi Gohan typically includes konnyaku as a part of ingredients, but I understand it might be such a strange ingredient to some people. 🙂 I think Chinese cuisine uses water chestnuts but they not a common ingredient in Japanese cooking (maybe hard to buy? I’m not too sure why). I’m glad you found a good ingredient to add to this recipe!
Hi Nami, I would like to use some seafood for this recipe. You have mentioned that seafood should be cooked separately before mixing together with the rice later. May I ask how should I book the seafood separately?
Hi Rayna! What type of seafood you’re interested in adding? You can season lightly with salt, sake, or even soy sauce. We usually mix in together. 🙂
Hi Nami, thank you for your reply in the midst of your busy schedule.
I would like to add Salmon and Prawn, perhaps with some fresh or dried scallops. How should I prepare them?
Thank you
Hi Rayna! That sounds delicious. I would cut the salmon into chunks and saute with fresh or rehydrated dried scallops in a frying pan. Season it with soy sauce and a tiny bit of butter. Do this around the time your rice is done cooking, and add to the steamed rice. You can still cook vegetables only in the rice (just follow the recipe) and add the seafood to make it more like a all-in-one meal. 🙂
This recipe looks SO good. I have ordered a ceramic stove top rice cooker with a domed glass lid from Hario. Do you know if I can make takikomi gohan in this style rice cooker?
Thank you!
Hi Heather! Yes, you can cook in Donabe (Japanese earthenware pot – I think that’s what you have?). 🙂
Thank you! This is one of my son’s favorite dishes and the next time I make it I will have him help me with it so that he can learn how to make it for himself. I love the idea that when he goes off to college he can cook something healthy for himself and remember his mom too😜
Great idea to involve your son! It’s the best feeling when you know how to make your favorite dish at home! I feel the same way about my favorite food Korokke that I learned from my mom and I still think about her (she’s in Japan) when I make korokke at home. 🙂
Can i substitute japanese rice with brown rice?
Hi Jane! You can, but in Japan, we soak short-grain brown rice for 6 hours (at least) to 12 hours before cooking to get the right texture. That’s the only difference you need to do compared to white rice. 🙂
Hi Nami,
I wonder if it’s a typo in the ingredients list:
“2 rice cooker cups uncooked Japanese short-grain rice (½ cup, 360 ml)”
I believe it’s should be 1-½ cup instead of ½ (US) cup?
Anyhow, I did make this with 2 rice cooker cup of rice, and it was perfect!
Hi Olivia! Thank you so much for finding my typo. I think “1” got erased when I was editing 1/2 to ½ before. Oops! Thanks for noticing! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for your kind feedback!
Hi Nami,
Thanks for the takikomi gohan recipe. Can I substitute konnyaku with shirataki rice? How many will I need and is there any difference in cooking method if i use shirataki rice?
Thank you!
Hi Mita! I’ve never used shirataki rice so I’m a little uncomfortable giving advice. I don’t think shirataki rice needs to cook as long as raw rice… so I don’t think it’s the same cooking time. Not sure what’s the best way to flavor the shirataki rice. Rice absorbs flavors, but in general konnyaku/shirataki doesn’t absorb flavor much. Maybe there is a better way to enjoy it?
Greetings from Singapore 🙂
These were so well received by my toddler and husband. Thank you for the recipe to this simple yet tasty dish!
I use a stainless steel pot (stovetop) to make the gohan. I’m not sure whether I cooked it for a tad too long, there was a layer of burnt rice on the inside of the pot after 12 minutes. Would be be able to give me some pointers?
Thanks again!
Jasmine
Hi Jasmine! I’m so happy to hear your family enjoyed this recipe! Is it a light stainless steel pot? It usually has a hot spot and ideally it’s best to use a heavy bottom pot (like Dutch oven) or donabe to make rice. Or lower the heat toward the end a bit? Soy sauce burns the bottom easily too, compared to regular steamed rice. 🙂
Hi Nami – this looks a lovely recipe! To get the rice-to-other-ingredient balance right for 2 people, I’d like to try making your original quantity for 4 people, and freezing half the dish. Do you have any tips on best ways to freeze this dish, and also to reheat it after freezing? I’ve never frozen a rice dish before, and don’t have a microwave. Thank you! : )
Btw, I love the new feature for changing number of servings on your recipes – it saves a whole lot of effort (and sometimes mistakes!) in re-scaling quantities. Million thanks!!!
Hi J! Thank you! You can freeze this just like the regular white rice.
For freezing and reheating rice info is here: https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-freeze-rice/
Microwaving is an easy method for reheating the leftover food, but since you don’t have it, you have to re-steam it in the pot (or steamer). 🙂
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
And guess what, I have this scaling quantity function for years… 😀 Recently someone else also mentioned if I *just* installed. LOL. I’m glad it’s helpful! I wish it’s more obvious, but maybe my font color is not obvious enough…
Wow, hi, Nami, and thank you so much for your incredibly quick reply! Your rice blog post answered all my questions. I’ll likely try making this dish tomorrow – a stay-home version (with some variants in ingredients) – see how it turns out : )
Oops, well, better late than never in finding the quantity function haha! I actually just happened to mouseover the quantity, and thought it was new because I remembered reading that someone had asked for it in this year’s JOC anniversary competition user comments, perhaps the same reader you mentioned, haha ; )
Yes, I do see the hyperlink colour on the quantity now! Maybe larger font and normal typeface could give it a touch more visual emphasis? Either way, a great feature – arigato gozaimashita : )
Hi Naomi,
My version is now in the rice cooker, currently cooking as I’m writing this, the only difference being, it’s a “Westernized” fusion version. I had lots of frozen broccoli/cauliflower/carrot leftover from the freezer, so I added those to shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots to get in enough Oriental flavor. I also have a slab of round steak which I intend to cook separately and mix in with the rice after it’s cooked.
I’m just worried that I mixed a lot of dashi powder with the shiitake dashi. I hope it doesn’t turn out too salty.
I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Hi Allan! The vegetables you added have some moisture in it, so even though you added a lot of dashi powder, it might be okay… I hope it turned out well.
Hi J! Thanks for the feedback. I will consider making it more visible in our next website update! 🙂
Thanks, Nami! I’ve since found the recipe quantity can also be changed on another (non-Japanese!) recipe website I’ve been occasionally using for a while, so the problem likely lies more with me (fairly newbie cook, quite obviously…) haha! Anyway, thank you – I appreciate how positively you always respond to our experiences and ideas. Wishing you smiles and a sunny heart : )
Thank you J! 🙂 oxox
Hi Nami, I had this in Hokkaido last year and suddenly had a craving for it this week. So happy to find it on your blog 🙂 Can I use fresh shiitake mushrooms to make this recipe?
Hi Laura! Sure you can use fresh shiitake mushrooms (it has less shiitake taste). FYI, you don’t have to do Step 4 with fresh shiitake mushrooms. 🙂 Enjoy the recipe! Hope it’s similar to what you had in Hokkaido. 🙂
niceeee
Thank you Nancy!
I’ve been living in Japan for awhile and decided to finally try my hand at making Japanese dishes. This was my first one (that I made by myself) and it turned out great!! This was my first time using gobo and now I love it. I’ve made this recipe twice so far, and I’m sure I’ll make it many more times!! Thanks Nami!
Hi Katie! I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks so much for trying this recipe! How’s your life in Japan so far. The good thing is… you have all the ingredients you need to make all my recipes. 😉 Hope you enjoy the autumn weather in Japan!
Dear Nami-san,
I was in Japan for three weeks and this was our Sunday lunch. The people I stayed with told me it was one of the “Japanese soul food” dishes. Missing so much of the delicious food I ate in Japan, I’m grateful to have found your recipe. Tasted almost exactly like what I had; so delicious!
Arigatougozaimashita!
Lisa
Hi Lisa! Welcome back, and I hope you had a great trip to Japan. Yeah… food tastes amazing in Japan, and I always have difficulty in getting back to the routine in the US after eating such delicious food every day. I think the quality of ingredients is better; even though I make a same dish, I feel like it’s not the same! Thank you for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
I made an all mushroom version and it was delicious! Plenty left over for onigiri, too.
Hi Regan! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe with all mushrooms! Onigiri must be so good… 🙂
I made the rice according to instructions with the omission of devil’s tongue jelly. DELICIOUS!! We also had grilled mackerel, spinach ohitashi and miso soup. Everything was great. But my kitchen looks a mess 😀 xo
Hi Linda! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Wow, your meal sounds amazing! Very washoku (Japanese style meal)!!!! LOL. I would go help clean up if I could join your dinner! I always prefer eating and dishwashing than cooking. 😉
Hi Nami!
What measurements would be different if I make your takikomi Gohan recipe on the stovetop using a clay Kamadosan rice Donabe pot? Do I use exactly the same measurements? And also what would the cooking instructions time be? Can I cook takikomi Gohan exactly the same as cooking regular Gohan in the Kamadosan?
Do you know if there is a basic strategy for converting a Japanese’s rice cooker recipe into cooking with a Kamadosan cooking vessel? I know this style of cooking rice is getting more popular but recipes are very limited and I am not very experienced in regards to cooking rice recipes on the stovetop. Please help me or can you possibly add cooking directions for a stovetop rice Kamadosan when you post your rice recipes using an electric rice pot??
Would love to learn how to make stovetop. Iced rice using Mochi kome like azuki bean red rice or a mixed sansai vegetable rice using Mochi kome!
Thank you for all the great recipes and videos! Can’t get enough of them!
Hi Teresa! I have a great recipe source for you!
https://toirokitchen.com/blogs/recipes
I bought my kamadosan from her shop in Los Angeles. She is awesome, sharing many recipes!
I don’t have a rice cooker. Can you make this same recipe in a large pot in top of the stove?
Hi Arrie! Yes you can. Follow the same cooking method as this recipe: https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-cook-rice/
There’s a Malaysian-Chinese dish that’s similar, and we use garlic, shallots, dried shrimp, fresh yam and oyster sauce and cook it in a claypot. I don’t have a claypot myself so I’ve tried cooking in both a rice cooker and in a pan (like paella) and I find that the latter gives better results with more crispy yam and rice bits. I’ll give yours a try as I’ve never had this type of konnyaku before!
Hi Deb! Oh that sounds delicious! I actually cook my rice and mixed rice in donabe (Japanese clay pot) for a while because it makes amazing rice. I understand what you mean about the crispy yam and rice bits! I go for that for sure!! Hope you enjoy this recipe! xo
What a pleasant recipe! I want to try it. Can I use salmon instead of chicken? I am pescaterian. Thank you! 🙂
Hi Sarah! Sure, you can add the raw salmon in it and cook. 🙂 Enjoy!
Do you have any tips for making gomoku gohan in a pot on the stove?
Hi Jennifer! The process is the same as this recipe up to the cooking time. You will need to know how to cook rice in a pot on the stove. 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-cook-rice/
Mahaloooo for sharing this recipe ~ ~ one that I forgot about, but loooved while living in Japan! I, too have the “mixed” setting on the rice cooker and have yet to use it… now, due to your advice, I know what to do with it : ) Looking forward to creating this wonderful & comforting dish! Thank you for alllll the recipes you share ~ ~ it is sooooo appreciated!!
Aloha Adaire! Thank you so much for your kind words. Hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Hello! Thank you for this delicious looking recipe. I am unable to eat any mushrooms. What would be a good alternative so there is still the umami flavor? I’m worried if I just leave it out without replacing it with something, the flavor will be mild (or maybe even bland). What would you suggest?
Hi April! That’s okay, not all takikomi gohan has shiitake mushrooms in it, and it’s still fine. 🙂
IF you can get aburaage (it might be in frozen section), I highly recommend including it. The deep fried oil in the tofu adds quite amazing savory flavor to the dish. So I’d say this is a (easy and) delicious ingredient to ensure the flavor.
If you can’t get it, actually seasoning with right amount of salt can give good flavor. I don’t mean it to be salty, but salt brings and tie all the flavor well. Now, don’t make mistake with adding more soy sauce. We don’t always need that soy sauce flavor. It ruins the all the delicious flavors from the ingredients. Salt helps bring out flavor of ingredients. Not soy sauce. So… you might need to add it, if you can’t use shiitake or aburaage. And, I highly recommend good dashi. It’s almost like… if you have a good delicious dashi, you are done half of job. 🙂 Don’t use dashi powder as the flavor doesn’t last long at all. 🙂
Thank you! I can get abura-age. I keep it in my freezer until I’m ready to use it. However, I can only find powder dashi. I would make my own, but I can’t find kombu either. I’ll just use the powder and a little extra salt, and hope that works.
Hi April. That’s okay, you can use dashi powder. Use what you have to get the best result. 🙂
HI Nami-san,
Thank you for all of your delicious recipes. I would love to make this takikomi gohan but I need to cook 3 cups of rice to feed 4 adults and 3 children. Can you tell me how to adjust the liquid seasonings please? Thank you!
Hi Yuko! You’ll need to increase the seasonings and the ingredients by 50%. 🙂
Hi Nami,
I love visiting your site for recipes and inspiration. I made this last night for dinner in my donabe and it was outstanding! I didn’t know I could be so in love with a bowl of rice. We served this with (your recipes) miso soup, miso salmon, cucumber wakame salad, and I cooked the leftover marinade with some shishito peppers, blistered and tossed with ginger, garlic, and scallions. It was a meal I will remember! I have cooked many different ethnic cuisines, but I still learn so much from your blog and from Japanese cooking. Thank you for all insightful posts!
Julia
Hi Julia! Thank you for using my site! Oh yeah making rice in donabe is WONDERFUL and I can imagine how delicious your Takikomi Gohan was! And along with all the nice Japanese dishes… your meal sounds fabulous. I’m so happy you are enjoying cooking Japanese food at home. Thank you for your kind feedback. xo
I’d love to try this recipe. Would this work in Instant Pot cooking rice in high pressure for 4 minutes and then natural release?
Hi Jos! I had never made rice in my Instant Pot (I heard it sticks to the bottom… so I use my rice cooker to make my rice). It should be same amount as regular rice cooking as it is for rice cooker. 🙂
Hello Namiko-san,
I enjoy your recipes and blog very much. Thank you!
Here is my problem. I did not look at your wonderful takikomi gohan instructions before “just doing it.” Result is hard cooked takikomi gohan because everything you said to do, I did not. And everything you said “don’t do,” I did! Any suggestions
on how to make the rice softer? Add some kind of dashi and cook in the rice cooker again?
Just a note – I used a hijiki mix received from Japan – already made and ready to serve as a side dish. No suggestions about making it as takikomi gohan … but I did anyway.
Thank you for any help you can give me. Aloha, Carol
Hi Carol-san! Thank you for reading my blog! I’m happy to hear you enjoy my recipes.
I’m not sure how you have been cooking Takikomi Gohan prior to reading my recipe…. what did you do? and what you didn’t do??
To understand your issue, I need to know what you have done (or didn’t do)….
To make rice “softer”… do you mean extra soft (for easier to eat) OR your rice was so hard that you wanted a regular texture rice like I have here?
You have to soak the rice for 30 minutes, and that helps. Also use Japanese short grain rice (no other rice, please). Rice is basic here and make sure you rinse, soak, and measure water correctly.
I can help you easier if you follow my recipe and find something doesn’t work. I don’t know your recipe, and it’s hard to investigate what was wrong…
We do have Hijiki Takikomi Gohan as variety in Japan. But you soaked/hydrated hijiki before using right? Otherwise, dried hijiki will absorb all your liquid in rice cooker, and rice has no water left…
Hi, Nami!
May I ask you a question please? I had had a kind of Japanese rice bowl with half-boiled egg, bonito flakes with dried seaweed when I was in KL. As much as I remember, they served it with sushi sauce. Is it an authentic Japanese rice bowl? If yes, please let me know the name (or the recipe). I could still remember it was very delicious. Thanks.
Hi Sai! Hmm the bonito flakes with dried seaweed is called “Furikake”. I’m not sure what’s sushi “sauce” (do you mean sushi rice – steamed rice with vinegar?). I’ll need a bit more description as I only know rice seasoning + half boiled egg over rice.
Oh, yeah! They served it with Kikkoman brand, Sushi And Sashimi Soy Sauce. May be it is not an authentic rice bowl. Thanks, Nami!
I am delighted to have learned the Japanese Takikoml Gohan .It is number 1. Thanks
Thank you Alex! Hope you enjoy this recipe! 🙂
Hi Nami!
Your recipe looks amazing (as all your recipes – they are ever so tasty)!
I was wondering if I could use dried instead of fresh gobo (as I only found the dried one at the store). Would I need to soak them in water first or do you think I could directly put them in their dried state into the rice cooker?
Thanks in advance for your help!
All the best to you, Julia
Hi Julia! Thank you so much for your kind words! I don’t know the dried gobo. Are they dried like dried shiitake? Just dehydrated kind? I would soak them to rehydrate completely first before cooking in the rice cooker as I’m not sure if it’s enough time for hydrated. 🙂
Hi Nami! Yes, the dried gobo shaves seem to be just dehydrated, like dried shiitake. So I’ll hydrate them before cooking! Thanks a lot for your advice and have a wonderful and hopefully relaxing week-end! 🙂
Hi Julia! Thank you for letting me know. Hope all works out for you! Have a great weekend!
Hi Nami! I hydrated the gobo together with the shiitake, which made a very interesting shiitake-gobo-dashi with nice flavours. I can only recommend it. Thanks again for your help!
Thank you Julia for reporting back! Usually dehydrated products have more flavors so need half of fresh ingredient amount. 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe! I loved the video – it helps so much to see it. I want to make this recipe in the instant pot – do you think that will work?
Hi EJC! I haven’t tried cooking rice yet in my IP (see this post for reason, and a lot of people responded with their experience in cooking rice: https://www.justonecookbook.com/instant-pot-review-recipes/). I feel like Japanese rice will stick a lot on the bottom of the pot as material is not non-stick and you know how sticky Japanese rice is compared to other Asian rice. Let me know if you try. It’ll cook fine for sure, but I just worry about how much rice will be wasted on the bottom of the pot. 🙂
can you use the stove tip instead of a rice cooker? Thanks
Hi Angela! Sure you can, if you have “donabe” that is even tastier!
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how_to/how-to-season-your-donabe/
what can i replace with if i do not have gobo and konnyaku?
Thanks.
Hi Stephy! Gobo is root vegetable, so similar texture would be lotus root etc. BUT both gobo and konnyaku (that’s unique ingredient, so it’s nothing similar…) can be omitted and use what you have. Konnyaku is just for texture, so it doesn’t affect much for flavor. Gobo on the other hand has earthy flavor to it. I like it and some may not. A lot of people said they make without it since it’s hard to find. 🙂
Nami, we just ate this for lunch and it was delicious. It was also the first time I used the Mixed rice setting on my rice cooker-so thank you for that. Couldn’t find fresh gobo so substituted with seasoned burdock for sushi rolls. Will definitely be making this again………lei
Hi Lei! I’m so happy you tried this recipe! Your substitute is great, thank you for sharing with other JOC readers! I’m glad you’ll make this again. Thank you!! xoxo
Hi!
This seems sooooo tasty!
Just a doubt: do you think I could freeze this in single portions after cooking it, as I do with normal white rice?
Hi Sara! Thank you! Yes, you can freeze this just like normal white rice. 🙂 Very convenient! Oh, the konnyaku gets a bit different texture, but for me it’s not a big deal (at least to me). 🙂
Just made it with equal parts sprouted brown rice and white rice, chicken, tempeh, carrots, shiitake, porcini mushrooms…topped with green onion..added a bit more dashi than written due to the brown rice…..the dashi gave it so much umami! Perfect for the cold rainy weather in Paris..My 8 year old ate so much I was a bit worried, and gave it a big thumbs up!
Thanks for the recipes, you are my go-to website when I crave Japanese food.
Hi Elim! Wow, thank you so much for trying this recipe in Paris! I’m always excited to hear so many people around the world cook my recipes and it’s amazing! Glad you could adapt the recipe with ingredients you can get. Thank you for sharing it with us! And I’m so happy you like my recipes too. Thank you!! xoxo
Hi Nami..can I replaced the burdock root with onion?
Hi Angie! Sure! I know burdock root can be hard to find… 🙁 Make sure to chop onion into smaller piece or thinly sliced (doesn’t have to be minced). 🙂
Again you keep me more excited about Japanese Cuisine! I haven’t tried out much with cooking rice with other ingredients (thus far only onions or ginger).
Chances are I won’t find all the ingredients you listed, but I find what I can get here and make some Takikomi Gohan 😀 And serve it with a great Japanese marinated fish – I’ll let you know on Facebook when I made it (will though first be next week as this week I already got a full menu planned).
なみ、ありがとうざいます！(Not sure what Kanji your name uses so I was stuck with Hiragana).
Hi Leo! I know these ingredients (root vegetables and konnyaku and deep fried tofu pouch) are very basic Japanese ingredients YET very rare ingredients outside of Japan. So sorry you have hard time finding these ingredients. However, this particular dish is easy to adapt with what you have. You can make it with vegetables you have, as long as you cut thin or small and not the leafy veggies.
I look forward to your FB posts! I recently saw your post and sorry it took me a while to respond. Facebook changed some option and I couldn’t see any of the JOC follower’s posts on FB, but I finally figured it out. 🙂
どうもありがとう！ My name is 菜美子.
菜 – yellow flower菜の花 or “vegetables” in Chinese language
美 – beautiful
子 – child
🙂
菜美子 – if I’d translate this directly to English I would end up calling you “beautiful child of the yellow flower” – it’s a very nice name!
I’ve taken note on your tips – cutting it finely is no problem with me, but thanks for the note on avoiding leafy ingredients for this.
Well we all encounter regular Web barriers out of surprise – I remember one FB occasion where I couldn’t post anything. Weird moment!
I like Takikomi Gohan very much ! It is similar to the chinese 有味飯(the chinese mixed rice receipe). I would like to know what is the greyish jelly like thing you put with the burdock. s there any health benefit about this jelly like cooking ingredient?
Hi Amy! It’s called Konnyaku and I explained in this post.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/pantry_items/konjac-konnyaku/
we call this dish in our house Nekomama..essentually translating to “cat food” as we always make it with rice, green onions, aburaage, tuna, and mushrooms. I add some of the juice from the tuna to the water along with dashi when the rice is cooking.
Hi Sandi! Neko Manma! I haven’t heard that word for years! 😀 Yes, it means cat food, and it refers to the leftover food for cat that’s typically rice and katsuobushi or other ingredients, not visually looking good. Sometimes, rice and miso soup mixture is also called Neko Manma too. Your family’s dish sounds delicious, and definitely BEYOND Neko Manma level. 😉
it’s one of my quick go-to favorites. Sometimes we add salted flaked salmon or saba (usually leftovers from another dish), but it always tastes good 🙂 It’s great with shimeji mushrooms too!
I remember having a friend visit, and I gave her a dish of Nekomama. She said it was delicious, and asked what the dish was called. When I told her, she asked what it meant, and looked shocked when I told her “cat food”.. lol
I had to quickly reassure her it wasn’t actually cat-food.. just the name we called it.
LOL! That’s a funny story!!! I think your dishes totally deserve to be called “Maze Gohan” at least since Neko Manma tends to have a negative connotation. 😉
no negative connotations in our house with the name Nekomama..lol… we have two cats named Mochi and Manju, and they are all about the fish!
=^..^=
Aww! Their names are SO cute! 🙂 <3
Ah, takikomi gohan! Yes, this is such the comfort food, especially as a reminder it’s “fall” in places like Southern California where we’re having Indian Summer with temps in the 90s!
Looking forward to other seasonal takikomi gohan recipes. In the meantime, guess what I’m making this weekend…
Hi Veronica! I was in Arizona recently (2 weeks ago) and it was over 100F. Now SF is around 50-60F and I finally feel like I can eat fall dishes. It’s windy and chilly these days. 🙂 Yes, I’ll try to work on more “seasonal” dishes. I’m so bad at planning ahead (I need to work 3 weeks ahead so videos and everything is done before posting), so you rarely see seasonal dishes here. =P