Pointers from Rie
- After a cold winter, detox your liver by consuming spring vegetables that taste bitter.
- Soak mochigome [mochi rice, glutinous rice, sticky rice, or sweet rice] in water overnight so the rice will be fluffy when cooked.
- Spring vegetables are soft so avoid over cooking.
- Mochigome is sticky after cooking. By using the microwave, the texture becomes chewy and light.
Ingredients [4 people]
Glutinous rice (mochigome) | 2cups |
Dried shiitake mushrooms | 2 |
Water | 200cc |
Chicken breast | 1/2(150g) |
Fresh burdock | 1/3(50g) |
Carrot | 1/5(medium size) |
Snow peas | 5 or 6 |
a)Boiled bamboo shoots Boiled sansai wild vegetables |
50g 100g |
b)Sugar Mirin Dark soy sauce Salt |
1teaspoon 3tablespoons 3tablespoons 1teaspoon |
Cooking
- Wash mochigome and soak for about 3 hours or overnight. Drain in a strainer.
- Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in water to soften and cut into small cubes. Save the water used to rehydrate dried shiitake mushrooms.
- Cut the chicken breast into cubes (1 cm); Cut the burdock and carrot into small cubes (5 mm).
- Boil the snow peas in salt water; cut into long strips. Cut bamboo shoots into quarter-rounds.
- Heat the water used to rehydrate shiitake mushrooms using medium heat; add chicken, burdock and carrots to the water. When carrots are softened, add a) and b). Cover with lid and cook for 5 to 6 minutes.
- Put mochigome in a microwavable bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and cook for 6 minutes at 600w.
- Add boiled soup from 5) to 6) and mix well; cover with plastic wrap and heat 6 minutes at 600w.
- Add ingredients (chicken and vegetables) from 5) and mix well; cover with plastic wrap and steam for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with snow peas.
MOA Products Used
Mochigome, chicken breast, mineral sugar mild, Zuiun dark soy sauce], and salt [Umikko]
This recipe was published in the magazine “Paradise” No. 79 (Spring 2020).