Japan — takikomi gohan traditions ancient; specific seasonal variations (matsutake gohan, kuri gohan) established through the Heian and Edo period seasonal cooking calendars
Takikomi gohan (rice cooked together with ingredients, literally 'mixed cooked rice') is a technique of cooking rice with seasonal ingredients directly in the rice cooker or pot, allowing the rice to absorb the flavours of the ingredients as it cooks. This method, related to but distinct from maze gohan (mixed rice where ingredients are cooked separately and then mixed in), produces rice of extraordinary flavour depth because the cooking process creates a unified flavour environment where the rice starch acts as a flavour sponge, absorbing the dashi, soy, mirin, and ingredient-released compounds during the cooking process. Classic takikomi preparations: tori meshi (chicken and gobo rice, autumn), matsutake gohan (pine mushroom rice, the most prestigious autumn version), kuri gohan (chestnut rice, using freshly peeled Japanese chestnuts and white sesame), tai meshi (sea bream steamed whole on top of the seasoned rice — the fish's released juices flavour the rice as it cooks), and wild vegetable (sansai) takikomi in spring. The rice must be washed and soaked before adding ingredients and seasoning liquid — the seasoning liquid (dashi plus soy plus mirin plus sake) replaces the plain water, and the total liquid volume must account for both the rice's water requirement and the moisture that will be released from the ingredients during cooking.
Takikomi gohan's flavour is unified and deep — the rice is seasoned throughout rather than on the surface, each grain having absorbed the dashi-soy-ingredient environment during cooking. The result is a complete, harmonious flavour that cannot be replicated by mixing cooked rice with separate ingredients.
The liquid volume calculation must account for moisture released from ingredients (vegetables and fish release significant water during cooking); use slightly less overall liquid when ingredients with high moisture content are used. Raw protein (chicken, fish) should be placed on top of the rice rather than mixed in — this allows the protein to steam-cook without releasing excessive starch-clouding proteins into the cooking environment. The seasoning liquid must be proportionally lighter than intended for a finished dish — the rice absorbs and concentrates the seasoning during cooking.
The essential tai meshi: clean a whole sea bream (tai), salt the outside and inside, let rest 30 minutes. Wash and soak rice (2 cups), drain, add to the pot with 350ml dashi, 1.5 tablespoons soy, 1 tablespoon sake, 0.5 tablespoon mirin. Place the whole salted tai on top of the rice. Cook as normal (closed lid method). When done, remove the fish, flake the meat, remove all bones, return the flaked meat to the rice and fold gently. The sea bream fat that has rendered into the rice creates one of the finest rice preparations in Japanese cooking. For matsutake gohan: use 3–4 medium matsutake per 2 cups rice, sliced lengthwise — the matsutake releases its extraordinary pine-forest fragrance into the rice during cooking.
Insufficient liquid calculation leads to under-cooked rice; excess liquid calculation leads to wet, clumpy rice. Mixing high-moisture ingredients into the rice before cooking (they release water that throws off the liquid ratio). Over-seasoning the cooking liquid — the concentration during cooking can make the finished rice too salty.
The Japanese Kitchen — Hiroko Shimbo