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1
Wash the rice until the water runs nearly clear. Cover with cold water and soak. The rice is ready when each grain has turned from translucent to fully opaque — this initial soak is more important here than for plain rice, as the grain must be fully hydrated before additions are placed on top.
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2
Drain the soaked rice and transfer it to a heavy pot or rice cooker. Combine the dashi, light soy sauce, sake, and mirin; pour over the rice. Season the liquid moderately — the matsutake and cooking process will release umami and moisture, concentrating flavour further. The seasoned dashi should smell clean, faintly sweet, and lightly savoury.
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3
Lay the matsutake slices across the surface of the rice in a single layer. Do not press them into the grains; they must rest on top so that steam can penetrate the rice evenly beneath. Do not exceed 20–25% solid additions by volume of rice — beyond this, the rice will not cook evenly. This is where the dish lives or dies: too many additions, or additions buried in the rice before steaming begins, will impede even heat distribution and produce unevenly cooked grains with flat, segregated flavour rather than the integrated umami that defines takikomi gohan.
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4
Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat with the lid on. Do not lift the lid at any point during cooking. The rice cooks by steam in its final stage; lifting the lid releases that steam and destroys the texture. Cook until the hiss and vigour of boiling subsides to silence — no sound means the liquid has been fully absorbed and the steaming phase is complete.
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5
Remove from heat and allow the rice to rest, lid firmly on, for the standard resting period. Uncover the pot at the table. A concentrated wave of autumn-forest fragrance — the aromatic signature of matsutake — should rise immediately from the pot. The ritual of releasing this steam fragrance is as important as eating.