Baby Rice
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| Donabe on Stove |
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| Pear Salad with Dates and Almonds |
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| Scallops on the Grill |
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| Scallops, Donabe Rice |
Japan takes their rice
seriously. It is seasonal, and varies by location. We were shopping in Tokyo
and bought what they called “Baby Rice”. I thought it was special for babies.
It wasn’t. It was the first Rice of the season. It is supposed to be the best.
We always use a Sanyo Rice Cooker to make rice. It never fails. However, we
wanted to go retro and make rice the way it used to be made: in a Donabe Pot.
These ceramic pots are put directly on the fire. They are double domed to keep
the steam in. In addition, the rice can become crispy on the bottom. We had held
off buying a Donabe Pot. But as luck would have it, on returning to Los Angeles
from Japan we were able to purchase one. A new Japanese Kitchen supply store
opened: Toiro had just opened. They
specialize in Donabe Pots.
With the rice we made Yuzu
Kosho Scallops from The
Japanese Grill
by Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat. There are two keys to making great Grilled Scallops.
First – Have fresh fabulous Scallops. McCall’s once again came through. Second - and equally important: Just barely grill them. I did 1 minute on 1 side, 2
minutes on the other. The just need to be warm and hopefully have some grill
marks. We purchased Seaweed Salad and Wasabi to serve with the Scallops. This was a
GREAT meal!
Yuzu Kosho Scallops
The Japanese Grill
Tadashi Ono &
Harris Salat
Dense, delicious sea
scallops work great on the grill; they keep their shape and are easy to handle.
But be careful when turning them, so they don’t fall through the grate.
1/2 cup Yiuzu Kosho)
20 sea scallops (about
1-1/2 pounds)
Reserve 2 tablespoons
of the marinade and set aside. Pour the remaining marinade into a baking dish
or rimmed sheet pan. Lay the scallops in the marinade and gently turn them 4
times to generously coat all sides.
Preheat a grill to
medium-hot. Brush the cooking grate dean and oil it well. Grill the scallops
about 2 minutes on each side. They’ll turn from translucent to white and become
firm and juicy when they’re done. Right before you pull them off the grill, dab
the reserved marinade on top of each scallop. Serve immediately.
Plain White Rice
Hakumai
Donabe Naoko Takei Moore Kyle Connaughton
3 rice cups (2-1/4 cups / 540 ml) Short-grain
white rice
2-1/2 cups (600 ml) cold filtered water or
low-mineral-content bottled water (such as Volvic or Crystal Geyser)
Almost everyone who comes to our homes or work
kitchens to plain donabe rice for the first time is shocked by how “perfect the
rice tastes and how easy it is to cook in a donabe rice cooker. Because donabe
lets the heat build slowly, the results are shinny and fluffy rice with a
chewy, sweet taste. Good plain rice never gets old.—Naoko
First, rinse the rice. Combine the rice and
enough cold water to completely cover the rice in a large bowl. Quickly swish
the rice by hand in a circular motion several times so the water becomes
cloudy. Immediately drain the rice in a colander. Repeat the process a few
times until the water is mostly clear. Drain well in a colander.
Transfer the rice to the donabe and add the
2-1/2 (600 mL) cups of water. Let the rice soak for 20 minutes.
Place both lids on the base so that the holes
of the lids are positioned perpendicular to each other.
Set the donabe over medium-high heat. Once the
steam starts puffing from the lid (11 to 13 minutes after you turn on the
heat), allow the rice to cook an additional 2 minutes. If you like to have a
nice crust on the bottom of the rice, extend the cooking time by another
minute. After a couple of tries, you will know the best heat level for cooking
rice on your stove; then you can just set a timer for 13 to 15 minutes and
don’t need to watch it for signs of steam.
Turn off the heat and let it rest undisturbed
for 20 minutes. Uncover and fluff the rice.
If you do not have a double-lid rice cooker,
you can still make rice in a classic-style donabe. After soaking the rice,
cover with the lid and start with medium-high heat, bringing it to a boil,
which will take about 7 to 8 minutes Turn down the heat to low and cook for 7
to 10 minutes longer, or until the water has mostly been absorbed (you can
quickly open the lid to check, if necessary). When the water is absorbed and
the rice is ready to rest, you will hear a subtle crackling sound inside (you
need to bring your ear right up to the donabe—be careful not to burn yourself).
Turn off the heat and let it rest undisturbed for 15 to 20 minutes. The cooking
time is based on 3 rice cups (2-1/4 cups / 540 ml) short-grain rice. The timing
may vary depending on the amount of rice being cooked.
