Steps

1. Diagonally slice the half carrot into thick pieces, then cut them into small, rough chunks.
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2. Slice the 100g daikon radish into rounds, then into thick pieces, and finally cut them into small, rough chunks.
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3. Finely chop the 2 sheets of fried tofu as much as possible. This is the key! Chopping them finely extracts more umami from the tofu.
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4. Rinse the 2 cups of rice and drain well, then transfer it to the inner pot of your rice cooker.
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5. Add 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1/3 to 1/2 tsp salt, 3 tbsp cooking sake, and 3 tbsp mirin to the rice cooker.
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6. Mix the seasonings and rice thoroughly. This is the key! By letting the rice absorb the seasonings first, the flavors will meld deeply. Do not add water or dashi broth yet.
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7. Pour dashi broth into the rice cooker up to the 2-cup mark.
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8. Spread the chopped fried tofu over the rice. This is the key! Do not mix the ingredients with the rice; layer them on top. This prevents uneven cooking and allows the tofu's umami to seep into the rice.
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9. Evenly spread the carrots over the fried tofu.
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10. Evenly spread the daikon radish over the carrots.
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11. Set the rice cooker and select the "Mixed Rice" mode if available. If not, use the regular cooking mode.
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12. Once cooked, gently mix the flavored rice from the bottom of the pot.
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13. Close the rice cooker lid and let it sit for a few minutes to allow the flavors to meld. This is the key! Mixing once after cooking and then letting it rest again creates a more cohesive flavor profile.
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14. Serve the cooked flavored rice in bowls.
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15. Garnish with mitsuba or serve with pickled daikon as desired, and it's ready to enjoy.
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