Description
Sweet Potato Rice is a comforting and flavorful Japanese-inspired dish combining fluffy rice with tender sweet potato cubes, seasoned with cooking sake and salt, and finished with a sprinkle of black sesame seed salt (gomashio). Perfect as a warm side dish or light meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Rice and Seasoning
- 1½ cups uncooked rice
- 1½ cups water for cooking rice
- 2 tablespoons cooking sake
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Black sesame seeds salt (gomashio), for garnish
Vegetables
- 1 sweet potato, washed and cut into small cubes
Instructions
- Wash the rice: Rinse the uncooked rice under cold water repeatedly until the water runs clear to remove excess starch, ensuring fluffy rice after cooking.
- Soak the rice: Place the washed rice into a rice cooker or large pot, add 1½ cups of water, and let it soak for 30 minutes to improve texture.
- Prepare the sweet potatoes: Wash and cut the sweet potato into small cubes. Then soak the cubed sweet potatoes in plenty of water to prevent discoloration and remove excess starch.
- Add seasoning: Pour the cooking sake and salt into the rice cooker or pot with the soaked rice, and stir gently to combine the flavors.
- Drain and combine: Drain the soaking water from the sweet potato cubes, then add the cubes on top of the rice in the cooker or pot without mixing.
- Cook the rice and sweet potatoes: Close the lid and start the rice cooker cycle or cook on stovetop until the rice is done. If using stovetop, bring to a boil then simmer covered until water is absorbed and rice is cooked.
- Steam the rice: Once cooking is complete, keep the lid closed and let the rice steam for an additional 10 minutes to finalize the texture.
- Mix and serve: Gently fluff the rice with a rice paddle, mixing the sweet potato cubes evenly throughout. Serve hot in bowls and sprinkle with gomashio (black sesame seeds salt) for an extra burst of flavor.
Notes
- Soaking the rice and sweet potatoes enhances the texture and cooking quality.
- Using a rice cooker simplifies the process, but stovetop can be used as an alternative.
- Gomashio adds a nutty and salty flavor, but can be substituted with toasted sesame seeds and salt if unavailable.
- Adjust water quantity if using different rice types for optimal cooking.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Japanese
Keywords: sweet potato rice, Japanese rice recipe, gomashio, healthy rice dish, vegetable rice
