Recipes

Jushime (Okinawan Seasoned Rice)

A traditional Okinawan dish featuring seasoned rice with pork, mushrooms, and vegetables.

Servings: 6
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • For the mushrooms:
    • 5 dried shiitake mushrooms
    • 1 1/2 cups (375ml) water, for soaking
  • 1 lb (450g) pork belly or shoulder
  • 2 cups (400g) rice
  • 4 1/2 cups (1.125L) water, divided
  • 1/2 cup (115g) kombu, sliced into 1/2” pieces
  • 1/2 cup (55g) shredded carrots
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon dashi powder

Notes

  • If using brown rice, you will need 5 cups (1.25L) of liquid.
  • Canned fish can be added as an optional ingredient.

Instructions

  1. Soak the shiitake mushrooms in 1 1/2 cups (375ml) of water for at least 30 minutes. Drain, squeeze out excess water, and reserve the soaking liquid. Slice the mushrooms thinly and set aside.

  2. In a medium saucepan, bring the pork belly to a boil with the remaining water. Boil for 8-10 minutes, until scum rises. Drain the pork, reserving the stock, then dice into bite-size pieces.

  3. Rinse the rice and place it in a rice cooker with the reserved stock from both the mushrooms and pork. Add enough water to reach 4 1/2 cups (1.125L) if necessary. Add the mushrooms, pork, kombu, carrots, soy sauce, and dashi powder.

  4. Cook in the rice cooker. Once done, let it rest for 10 minutes. Fluff with a rice paddle and serve hot.