Kinoko Gohan Recipe

By
Judy Ung
Judy Ung
Food writer, recipe developer, and blogger who has published hundreds of Japanese home-cooking recipes.
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Updated on 02/10/23
Japanese mushroom rice (kinoko takikomi gohan)

Judy Ung

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Total: 50 mins
Servings: 6 servings

Although a variety of mushrooms are available at grocery stores year-round, the mushroom season in Japan is still regaled as a highlight of fall. To commemorate the fall season, try incorporating a mix of Asian mushrooms into a seasoned rice dish for your next Japanese meal. 

Japanese mushroom (kinoko) rice (gohan), is also known in Japanese as either “kinoko gohan,” or “kinoko no takikomi gohan.” In general, takikomi gohan refers to any steamed rice dish which incorporates seasonings, vegetables, and proteins. 

This particular kinoko gohan recipe is seasoned with a mixture of dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sake. For this recipe, recommended mushrooms include shiitake, shimeji, and maitake (hen of the wood) or hiratake (oyster mushrooms), all of which are aromatic. When the rice is steamed together with the seasonings and mushrooms, the rice imparts a mild mushroom flavor and aroma. It’s a delicate, yet wonderful autumn side dish.

Recipe Tips:

  • Substitute katsuo (bonito fish) dashi with konbu (kelp) dashi for a vegan rice dish.
  • Other aromatic Asian mushrooms to try with this recipe include: enoki (golden lily) or matsutake (pine).
  • The liquid seasonings (soy sauce, mirin, sake) plus the dashi stock together, should equal the total amount of liquid needed to steam the rice on its own, without the mushrooms. In other words, 3 cups of rice need 3 cups liquid, as indicated on the inner bowl of your rice cooker. 

Ingredients

  • 3 cups Japanese premium short-grain rice, or brown rice

  • 3 cups dashi stock, or 3 cups water mixed with 1 teaspoon dried bonito dashi powder

  • 3 tablespoons Japanese-style soy sauce, shoyu

  • 2 tablespoons mirin, or sweet sake

  • 1 tablespoon cooking sake

  • 2 dried shiitake mushrooms

  • 1/2 cup water, for reconstituting dried shiitake mushrooms

  • 1 cup fresh mixed mushrooms, such as shimeji, maitake, or hiratake mushrooms

Steps to Make It

  1. Wash and rinse rice until water runs clear. Drain and set aside in rice cooker. (Note: Dashi broth and reserved shiitake soaking liquid will be added later.)

  2. Rehydrate dried shiitake mushrooms in 1/2 cup of water for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove shiitake mushrooms and squeeze excess water from them. Reserve the soaking liquid. (Note: This soaking liquid will be added to the dashi stock to steam the rice later.)

  3. Slice rehydrated shiitake mushrooms and either slice or break apart fresh mushrooms with your hands into large bite-sized pieces.

  4. Add soy sauce, mirin, and sake to the washed rice in the rice cooker. (Note: These liquid ingredients will replace some of the dashi stock used to steam the rice.)

  5. If one is accessible, use a large 4-cup measuring cup. Add reserved shiitake liquid to the large measuring cup. Next, add water to the reserved shiitake liquid until a total of 3 cups is measured. Otherwise, measure a total of 3 cups of liquid, combining the reserved shiitake liquid and water.

  6. Next, add 1 teaspoon dried bonito dashi powder (or konbu dashi) and dissolve the powder in the water and reserved shiitake liquid mixture to make dashi stock.

  7. Add this combined dashi stock to the rice cooker to make 3 cups of liquid according to the measuring guide indicated within the inner bowl of your rice cooker. If more liquid is needed to meet the 3-cup marker indicated on the inner rice cooker bowl, add water. (Note: If you have excess stock, set it aside to use with another dish. Do not add the excess stock to the rice cooker, or the texture of the rice may become too wet and sticky.)

  8. Add dried shiitake slices and fresh mushroom mixture to the rice. Gently incorporate all of the ingredients. Steam the rice according to the instructions provided with your rice cooker.

  9. After the rice is steamed, allow it to rest in the rice cooker for 10 minutes. Gently mix the rice, serve, and enjoy! 

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
141 Calories
1g Fat
25g Carbs
6g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 141
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 2%
Saturated Fat 0g 2%
Cholesterol 1mg 0%
Sodium 622mg 27%
Total Carbohydrate 25g 9%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 15mg 1%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 278mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)