Steps

1. Rinse 2 cups of rice and soak in water for 30 minutes. (Key Tip: Soaking the rice makes it fluffy when cooked.)
   🕒 01:42
2. Slice 4 pieces of chikuwa into 1cm thick rounds.
   🕒 02:01
3. Peel 60g of carrot, slice thinly, then cut into fine strips.
   🕒 02:24
4. Trim the root of 1 stalk of scallion. Thinly slice the white part diagonally. Finely slice about 1/4 of the green part diagonally and set aside for garnish. (Key Tip: Adding the green part after cooking enhances aroma, texture, and color.)
   🕒 02:42
5. Remove the stems from 100g of maitake mushrooms and tear them apart by hand.
   🕒 03:23
6. Heat 1/2 tbsp of sesame oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add carrots and maitake mushrooms.
   🕒 03:48
7. Add a pinch of salt and stir-fry the carrots and maitake mushrooms for about 2 minutes. (Key Tip: Stir-frying maitake mushrooms to remove moisture concentrates their umami.)
   🕒 04:13
8. Transfer the stir-fried carrots and maitake mushrooms to a plate and let them cool to room temperature.
   🕒 04:49
9. Drain the soaked rice and place it in a rice cooker pot.
   🕒 05:03
10. Add 2 tbsp of Soy Sauce, 2 tbsp of Mirin (Sweet Rice Wine), 1 tbsp of Cooking Sake (Rice Wine), 1/2 tsp of Dashi Powder, and 1/4 tsp of Salt to the pot and mix well.
    🕒 05:03
11. Add water up to the 2-cup line and mix again thoroughly. (Key Tip: Adjust water level based on how dry the rice is. Use the 2-cup line for dry rice, and slightly less for fresh rice.)
    🕒 05:26
12. Add the sliced chikuwa, the cooled stir-fried maitake mushrooms and carrots, and the white part of the scallions to the pot. Cook using the normal rice setting.
    🕒 05:36
13. Once cooked, add the reserved green part of the scallions and mix everything together.
    🕒 06:07
14. Serve in a bowl. Your Chikuwa Rice is complete!
    🕒 06:21