Chimaki

Rice wrapped in bamboo leaves

Using a pressure cooker

With shiitake, carrot, a can of tuna, shio kombu, ginger, pine nuts

Ingredients: (makes about 10 large or 20 small pieces)

• Sweet rice 3 cup (using rice cooker cup)

• Inside ingredients could be any combination; shiitake, carrot, bamboo shoot, gobo, dry shrimp, meat, pine nuts, sesame, shio kombu, ginger, a can of tuna, etc.

• Dashi water 1.5 JPN cup (300cc) including modoshijiru (soaked water) of dry shiitake and dry shrimp, etc

• Soy sauce 2 tbsp

• Mirin 1 tbsp

• Sake 1 tbsp

• Dried or fresh bamboo leaves 10

• Cooking string (optional)

• Sesame oil (if any)

Directions:

1. Soak the dry bamboo leaves for a few hours to make them soft (No need to soak the fresh leaves)

2. Rinse sweet rice and soak in water for 15 minutes and drain and wipe to dry

3. Cut the inside ingredients into small pieces

4. In a frying pan, sautee the inside ingredients with some oil (sesame oil preferred)

5. Add the drained rice and sautee longer

6. Add mixture of dashi water, soy sauce, mirin, sake and pour to 5, and sautee until the rice absorbs the water

7. Remove from the heat and spread the rice mixture on the flat surface to cool down

8. Wrap rice with a bamboo leaf (and tie with cooking string, if necessary) into triangle shapes (chimaki)

9. In a pressure cooker, add some water (800cc or according to the instruction), place chimaki in layer.

10. Close the cover, let it boil. Once the knob starts turning (or the pot starts making noise), cook 15 minutes on low heat.

11. Remove from heat and leave for another 15 minutes

12. Open the pressure cooker

Notes

• Can be steamed instead of using a pressure cooker

• Cooking paper can be used instead of bamboo skin

• Bamboo leaves (dried/fresh) can be purchased via online