It’s simple but the Japanese corn rice dish will satisfy all members of your family from baby to grandfather. I made this dish often, especially in summer. The aroma of just cooked corn rice makes me so happy. I make rice balls from it and they become perfect side dishes for the BBQ.
Corn with Charred Soy Sauce is Popular in Japan
When you go to a Japanese summer festival, you will smell different yummy scents all over from each food vendor, okonomiyaki, grilled squid or chocolate banana, etc. The most appetizing smell for me is always grilled corn. Grilled corn in Japan is always brushed with soy sauce around the corn. The soy sauce with sweet roasted corn is a wonderful savory flavor. This corn rice almost reminds me of the grilled corn flavor I had from Summer festival memories.
Corn Cob and Silks are Important Ingredients for Corn Rice
Sadly we always trash corn cobs and silks when eating corn. However, corn cobs and silks contain a lot of nutrition and umami. Corn silk is used in Chinese medicine and Native American medicine. Some studies show that corn silk may reduce inflammation, blood sugar, and blood pressure. So why not take advantage of this while cooking your rice?
Pot I Recommend for Corn Rice
You can use any of the deep pots you have in your house for this corn rice. I cook this dish with an electric rice cooker, or donabe rice cooker, or a Le Creuset pot.
This is What I Use
Charred Soy Sauce aka Kogashi Shoyu
Kogashi shoyu (焦がし醬油) means charred or burnt soy sauce which you may here often at the Japanese ramen place. You can add regular soy sauce to this corn rice, but this smoky, charred flavor will bring this dish to the next level. Because using a small amount of soy sauce it burnt easily like 1 to 2 minutes with high heat. Be careful to not evaporate the soy sauce 100 %.
Ingredients
- 1 fresh corn with corn silk
- 2 cups of Japanese short-grain rice(300g/360ml)
- 2 cups (360ml) of water
- ¼ teaspoons of salt
- 2 tablespoons (30g) of unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse the rice under running water, and soak in water for more than 30 minutes.
- Peel the corn, and set the corn silk aside. Cut the corn in half, then place it vertically and cut the corn off from the cob. Do not throw the cob out.
- Place the corn and cob and corn silk in the pot with rice and water, add salt.
- Close the lid and turn the heat on medium-high. Cook with a covered lid for 10 minutes. The steam should start puffing, then turn the heat down to low. Cook 2 to 3 more minutes, then turn the heat off.
- Remove from the heat, and let them steam for another 10 to 15 minutes with the lid on. (Do not open the lid yet !!)
- Meanwhile, pour the soy sauce into a small pan. Cook soy sauce until it starts smoking.
- Open the rice pot lid, take the corn cob and silk out. Add butter, and burned soy sauce. Fluffy mix with a spatula, and sprinkle the black pepper as you like.
Notes
- When you cook rice, do not open the lid. t You can sneak peek a little bit if you really want but don’t do too much.
- If you want the crust, you can cook for extra 1 – 2 minutes.
