Japanese three mushroom rice recipe

Ingredients

• 1¼ oz (30 g) dried shiitake mushrooms
• 2 pints 10 fl oz/6 1/3 cups (1.5 litres) warm water
• 1½ tbsp granulated sugar
• 10½oz/1 2/3 cups (300 g) short-grain white rice
• 10½ oz (300 g) mix of fresh oyster, shimeji and shiitake mushrooms
• 12½ fl oz/1½ cups (370 ml) mushroom dashi (the water used to soak the dried shiitake mushrooms)
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce (usukuchi shoyu)
• 1¾ oz/¼ cup (50 g) unsalted butter
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil (optional)
• 4-6 mangetout, blanched in boiling water for 15 seconds, drained, refreshed in cold water and sliced thinly on the diagonal, to garnish

1. Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in the measured warm water, add half a tablespoon of sugar and mix well. Let the mushrooms rehydrate for 1 hour until very soft and plump. The soaking liquid will become your mushroom dashi.
2. Wash the rice in a bowl with plenty of fresh water using a circular motion with your hand. Drain the water and repeat 3ƒ4 times until the water runs clear. Transfer the rice to a sieve (strainer) and let it drain for 15 minutes. Wipe the fresh mushrooms with a damp cloth, discard the stems and cut into chunks.
3. When the dried mushrooms are soft, measure out 370 ml (12½fl oz/1½ cups) of the mushroom dashi (the water used to rehydrate the mushrooms), avoiding any grit in the bottom of the bowl, and set aside. Discard the stems and finely slice the mushrooms. Mix the rehydrated and fresh mushrooms together.
4. In a bowl, mix together the reserved mushroom dashi, the soy sauce and remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar until it is completely dissolved. Add the drained rice and leave to soak for 30 minutes. When the soaking time is up, cook the rice either in a rice cooker or in a pan over a stove as follows.
Rice cooker method
5. Add the rice and mushroom dashi to the rice cooker bowl, top with the mushrooms, close the lid and turn it on. It should take 15-20 minutes to cook. Once the rice cooker’s alarm beeps, let the rice rest in the unopened rice cooker for at least 15 minutes.
Pan and hob (stove) method
6. Choose a pan with a tightly fitting lid (preferably of glass) and with a small ventilation hole for some of the steam to escape. When the soaking time is up, add the rice and mushroom dashi to the pan, top with the mushrooms, place the lid on and bring to the boil (a glass lid will allow you to see when the water comes to the boil). As soon as it boils, turn the heat down to its lowest setting and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Do not remove the lid at any stage during cooking or resting. Take off the heat and let the rice rest for a further 15 minutes.
7. Once the rice has rested, open the rice cooker (or pan), add the unsalted butter and sesame oil (if using) and mix thoroughly. Place the mushroom rice in individual rice bowls, top with the mangetout and serve.