Recipe : Japanese Corn Rice (Tomorokoshi Gohan)
Sweet, juicy corn and freshly steamed Japanese rice — this simple combination is one of my favorite ways to enjoy summer in Japan. Tomorokoshi Gohan (とうもろこしご飯), or Japanese corn rice, is a seasonal rice dish made by cooking fresh corn together with Japanese short-grain rice.
The ingredients are incredibly simple, but there is one little trick that makes it even more flavorful:
Don’t throw away the corn cob!
Cooking the cob together with the rice adds a natural sweetness and wonderful corn aroma to the entire pot.
What is Tomorokoshi Gohan?
In Japan, we enjoy changing our rice dishes with the seasons.
In spring, you might find rice cooked with bamboo shoots. In autumn, mushrooms, chestnuts, and sweet potatoes often appear. And during summer, fresh sweet corn is one of my favorites.
Tomorokoshi means corn, and gohan means rice.
Unlike heavily seasoned mixed rice, this recipe uses only a little salt and sake. The idea is not to cover the flavor of the corn, but to let its natural sweetness become the star of the dish.
This simplicity is something I love about Japanese home cooking.
Ingredients (4 servings)
2 cups Japanese short-grain rice (2 Japanese rice-cooker cups / 360 ml)
1 ear fresh corn
1 tablespoon sake
1 teaspoon salt
Water, as needed for cooking 2 cups of rice
Instructions
1. Wash the rice gently several times until the water becomes almost clear.
Drain well, then let the rice soak in water for about 30 minutes.
2. Remove the husk and silk from the corn. Stand the corn upright on a cutting board and carefully slice the kernels away from the cob with a knife. Keep the cob — this is important!
3. Place the drained rice in your rice cooker.
Add the sake and salt, then add water to the 2-cup line of your rice cooker.
Gently mix the seasoning into the water.
4. Spread the corn kernels over the rice. Place the corn cob on top.
*There is no need to mix the corn into the rice before cooking.
5. Cook using the regular white rice setting.
When the rice has finished cooking, let it rest for about 10 minutes before opening the lid.
6. Remove the corn cob.
Using a rice paddle, gently fluff the rice from the bottom, distributing the corn throughout.
Serve immediately while warm.
YUCa’s Tips
Cook with the corn cob
This is my favorite tip for making corn rice.
Instead of throwing the cob away after removing the kernels, place it directly on top of the rice.
As everything cooks together, the cob releases its subtle sweetness and aroma into the rice.
It is a small step, but it makes a difference.
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