Happy Donabe Life

Tag Archives: Mochi mugi

English Peas and Hijiki Quinoa

This is a variation of my donabe rice recipe, English Peas and Hijiki Rice. Instead of rice, I am useing quinoa and mochi mugi barley and cook in vegetable stock in a donabe .To finish, I season simply with salt and pepper, and drizzle good amount of extra virgin olive oil! Feel free to elevate the dish with addition of different herbs or seasonings, if you like. You can serve it on its own or this can also makes a wonderful side dish served with grilled fish, vegetables, etc. I used Bistro Donabe for this dish, but any donabe with enough depth can work for this recipe. Happy Donabe Life!


Smokey Shoyu Corn Hijiki Rice

This rice dish has been a big hit throughout this summer, and I made it many times. As long as you have nice sweet fresh corn, this dish can almost never fail. Corn and hijiki seaweed go so well together (I also like to make a salad dish featuring these two ingredients), and they blend in with the rice nicely. 

The butter and Smoked Soy Sauce are added after the rice is made, so they keep the really fresh flavors. The aroma is quite irresistible. If you don’t have the Smoked Soy Sauce, you can use a regular soy sauce for a non-smokey version.


Oil Sardine Rice

Iwashi no Takikomi Gohan

Canned oil sardines are great items to store in your pantry. It’s ready to use and rich in umami and nutrients. This sardine rice is so easy to make, as all you have to do is basically remove the sardines from the can and top on the rice with a few other ingredients to cook. Make sure to use a little amount of the oil from the can, as it’s infused with all the rich flavors of the sardines. I also highly recommend you sprinkle some Sansho Powder when serving, as the bright citrusy kick of the sansho with the rich sardine flavors work so well together. Oh, a little squeeze of fresh lemon over the rice is also nice, too.

I also like to cook this dish with the addition of Mochi Mugi barley. If you would like to cook with the Mochi Mugi, add a packet of Mochi Mugi to the rice and extra 1/2 cup (120 ml) of dashi and a pinch of salt in Step 1 of the recipe. 


Pressed Smoked Salmon Sushi

Smoked Salmon Oshi-Zushi

Oshi-Zushi (pressed sushi) is always fun to make and is also tasty, especially when the rice is cooked in a Kamado-san. You can see in the photo how each grain retains its shape and is shiny after the sushi is pressed. The traditional wood sushi mold makes the process so easy and brings beautiful results. Here’s my quick oshi-zushi recipe, which can be made with something I normally stock in my fridge…smoked salmon, radish, and shiso leaves. If you don’t have access to shiso leaves, you can substitute with arugula or simply omit it. If you want to add Mochi Mugi barley to the rice, simply add a packet of Mochi Mugi to the rice and increase the water by 1/2 cup (120 ml) and cook together.


Chicken, Kabocha & Mochi Mugi Stew in Shio-Koji Broth

This hearty stew is so nourishing and tasty. The only seasoning is basically Liquid Shio-Koji, and this magical seasoning makes the chicken extra tender. With the addition of kabocha and Mochi Mugi barley, this dish tastes so complete and makes an ideal one pot meal. My body always feels so great after eating a big bowl of this stew. For this dish, I like making dashi (soup stock) with kombu and dried shiitake by soaking them in water for a few hours (to over night) in advance. They not only make the soup taste wonderful but also they can be sliced and added to cook in the stew to enjoy. But, you can also make this dish with chicken stock or vegetable stock and it will be delicious, too.


Clam Rice

Asari Gohan

This is a popular Japanese dish and we love it especially in the spring time when the clams are in the top season. Plump sake-steamed clams are folded in to the donabe rice, cooked with the combination of clam juice (from steaming) and dashi. My version uses extra amount (almost double or more) of clams compared to normal clam rice recipes, because I like to really enjoy the meaty clams in the rice! But, you can also make the dish with less amount of clams, and the dish would still taste delicious.

I also like to cook this dish with the addition of Mochi Mugi barley. If you would like to cook with the Mochi Mugi, add a packet of Mochi Mugi to the rice and extra 1/2 cup (120 ml) of dashi and a pinch of salt in Step 3 of the recipe.


Turmeric Rice with Mochi Mugi Barley

With the bright color and aromas, this dish can stimulate your appetite so much. Once you sauté the spices with rice and Mochi Mugi barley, just add the stock (or water) and let the Kamado-san do the work for you. The entire process is done over medium-heat. It’s so flavorful and I love the bouncy texture of the barley in the dish, too. This dish is especially great with Pork Keema Curry, and when I make this combination, I always end up having second (and sometimes even third) bowl. If you wish to make it without the Mochi Mugi, reduce the stock (or water) amount by 1/2 cup (120 ml), then reduce each spice’s amount a little bit.


Cherry Blossom & Tofu Skin Rice

Sakura Yuba Gohan

In the spring time, Japan is all about sakura (cherry blossoms). People go out to see the beautiful sakura trees in full bloom and also enjoy both sweet and savory treats using sakura flowers and leaves. With thin and tender yuba (tofu skins), this dish is full of spring flavors! The additional Mochi Mugi barley also adds the nice texture. Salt-preserved (pickled) sakura can be found at some Japanese markets and online specialty stores.


Mochi Mugi Barley & Rice

Mochi Mugi Gohan

Mochi Mugi is a type of barley and it is considered to be a “super food”, as it contains much higher amount of fiber than brown rice or regular kinds of barley. For me, Mochi Mugi simply tastes so good and I really enjoy its nice bouncy texture. By adding a small amount of Mochi Mugi to your rice, your rice becomes not only more nutritious but it adds another nice dimension in the flavor. For each packet of Mochi Mugi, 1/2 cup (120 ml) water is needed to cook.


Sweet Potato & Walnut Rice

Satsuma Imo to Kurumi no Takikomi Gohan

Satsuma-imo (Japanese sweet potato) and roasted walnuts bring rich earth and sweet flavors to this dish.


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