Writing about rice and finding out there are several to choose from American grown got me busy for a while. I inventoried my rice stash and was not really that surprised at the number of rice bags in my pantry: Thai jasmine and black glutinous, US (Koda Farms) short grain, glutinous and brown, and Italian arborio, 6 kinds of rice! We are Filipinos and we eat rice every night, we also love sushi, onigiri, risotto, paella, and various Filipino rice snacks. I opened the newly bought bag of short grain and suddenly I thought of
kamameshi. We used to eat this Japanese rice dish at a restaurant in Makati called Kamameshi House or something. They serve very good Japanese food and the most delicious Chicken And Vegetables Kamameshi. This rice dish is unheard of in Japanese restaurants where I live *yes I live in the boondocks*. One or two authentic Japanese restaurants in Washington D.C have kamameshi in their menus but we rarely drive to D.C. The place is teeming with tourists on weekends and the streets are chaotic during weekdays, and I'm a little scared of getting lost and it's very possible that with one wrong turn we will end up in the notorious part of the District. I don't want to be mugged for a bowl of kamameshi.:DAnyways, I am happy with my homecooked kamameshi but will still try to look for Japanese restaurants that make them.
Chicken Kamameshi
2 tablespoonssoy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons sake
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup sliced onion
¼ teaspoon finely minced garlic
¼ cup sliced asparagus or carrots
¼ cup green peas
2 cups Japanese short grain rice
¼ cup sliced shiitake
2 cups bite-size pieces boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- Wash and drain rice on a fine sieve, leave for 30 minutes. Mix first 6 ingredients until sugar and salt are dissolved, taste and adjust seasoning. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and cook in a rice cooker, earthen pot, or non-stick saucepan for 20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Serve kamameshi with warm sake or cold green tea.
