“Okowa” is a Japanese dish, steamed glutinous rice or a mix of glutinous and non-glutinous rice with other ingredients. Here, we introduce a recipe for “Hotate Okowa” using “hotate”(scallop), an Aomori Prefecture’s specialty.
Ingredients
- 375g glutinous rice (called “mochigome” in Japanese)
- 50g dried scallops
- 5 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1/2 carrot
- 1/2 burdock
- (For seasoning)
- - 25cc sake
- - 1/2 tbsp mirin
- - 2 tbsp sugar
- - 50cc soy sauce
- - 1 and 1/2 vegetable oil
Directions
- Rince and soak glutinous rice in water overnight. Drain the rice in the sieve 30 minutes before cooking.
- Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in water and cut them into thin slices. Keep the water used for soaking the mushrooms.
- Soak the dried scallops in the water. Keep the water for later use.
- Scrape off the gobo and carrot skin and cut them into thin shavings.
- Heat a pot with the oil and stir-fry burdock, carrot, shiitake mushrooms and dried scallops in order. Then, pour the water used for soaking the mushrooms and scallops about enough to cover the ingredients, and add sugar, soy sauce, sake, and mirin. Simmer it 3 to 5 minutes after boiling and turn off the heat.
- Place the rice (step 1) in the boiling steamer and steam for about 15 minutes.
- Put the steamed rice (step 6) in the bowl and mix well with the cooked ingredients (step 5), including the liquid for simmering. Then place it back in the steamer and steam again for about 10 to 15 minutes, and it is ready for serving.