Steps

1. Peel and diagonally slice 80g of Carrot, then cut into thin strips.
   🕒 00:50
2. Wash 60g of Burdock Root thoroughly, diagonally slice, and then cut into thin strips. (Key Tip!) To bring out the burdock's aroma, you can leave the peel on. Cutting into thin strips helps it mix well with the rice.
   🕒 01:21
3. Soak the thinly sliced burdock root in water.
   🕒 01:59
4. Cut 150g of Chicken Thigh (for Karaage) into small pieces of about 1-2 cm. (Key Tip!) Cut into small pieces so they easily mix with the rice and other ingredients. Remove any tough tendons.
   🕒 02:08
5. Lightly pound the cut chicken to tenderize the meat and help it absorb flavors.
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6. Heat 1 tbsp of Sesame Oil in a frying pan and stir-fry the chicken, carrots, and burdock root that has been soaked in water all at once.
   🕒 03:09
7. Stir-fry briefly until the color of the meat changes. (Key Tip!) Be careful not to overcook, as it will make the meat tough.
   🕒 03:44
8. Add 1/2 tbsp of Sugar, 2 tbsp of Cooking Sake (Rice Wine), 3 tbsp of Mirin (Sweet Rice Wine), and 3 tbsp of Soy Sauce and mix.
   🕒 03:55
9. Once it starts to simmer, reduce the heat and simmer until the seasoning liquid evaporates.
   🕒 04:20
10. Finally, increase the heat and evaporate the moisture completely to concentrate the umami. (Key Tip!) If there's leftover liquid, the rice will become mushy when mixed, so make sure to evaporate the moisture thoroughly.
    🕒 05:33
11. Add the stir-fried ingredients to 600g of warm Cooked Rice and mix gently. (Key Tip!) Mixing until it's evenly colored brown will give it the appearance of Takikomi Gohan (mixed rice).
    🕒 06:03
12. Sprinkle with 2 tsp of White Sesame Seeds as desired and garnish with Mitsuba (Japanese Parsley) as needed.
    🕒 07:15
13. Use any leftover Kashiwameshi to make onigiri (rice balls). (Key Tip!) You can also add other ingredients like mushrooms if you like.
    🕒 09:41