Japan has distinct four seasons, and each season is characterized by an abundance of seasonal ingredients. In Spring, we anticipate the emergence of fresh bamboo shoots and make Bamboo Rice, or Takenoko Gohan (たけのこご飯). It’s a simple rice dish cooked in dashi broth with the addition of tender bamboo shoots. As bamboo represents the coming of spring, mixed rice holds a special place in Japanese cuisine. It also brings me such joy to cook for my family as we gather at the dinner table to give thanks for the new season.
Edible Bamboo Shoots
Delicate young bamboo shoots are a common ingredient in Japanese cooking just as they are in most Asian culinary worlds. They are tender and edible when cooked, and they taste like spring to me. You’ve probably tasted bamboo shoots in ramen, but the uses extend wide and far in the kitchen. You can find bamboo shoots in many Japanese recipes such as:
Simmered Bamboo Shoots (Tosani)Chikuzenni (Simmered Chicken and Vegetables)Chinese Pepper SteakHarumaki (Japanese Spring Rolls)Vegetable Miso Soup (with Bamboo Shoots)
The mild flavor and tender-crisp texture of bamboo shoots make it an excellent addition to bulk up your stir-fries, soups, salads or as a delicious topping to your noodle dishes. Bamboo shoots are in season in spring between late March through May. Keep an eye out when you visit Japanese or Asian grocery stores. You might be lucky to score some fresh bamboo shoots to make delicious food with them. Most of the Japanese and Asian grocery stores sell pre-boiled and vacuumed packed bamboo shoot like the picture shown below. The bamboo shoots are already boiled, so you can quickly heat up and enjoy right away. Do not use the canned variety to make Bamboo Rice. If you don’t use the entire bamboo shoot, you can save the leftover in an airtight container. Make sure to soak the bamboo shoots in cold water all the time and change the water every day to keep it fresh until you are ready to use. They can last up to two weeks when they are properly refrigerated. You can rinse off the gritty white substance in the bamboo shoot, but they are edible. If they don’t bother you, there’s no need to rinse them off.
Cooking Takenoko Gohan in Kamado-san
If you ask me what is the very best way to cook Japanese rice, I would say, without a pause, to cook in Kamado-san (かまどさん). Kamado-san is a Japanese earthenware (donabe) rice cooker made with a special clay. It produces the most delicious rice than any other cooking method. My family can vouch for that as they can taste the difference immediately. So, what is the difference between Kamado-san and the regular donabe? While the regular donabe is a fantastic all-around cooking pot, Kamodo-san is specially designed for cooking rice. It has a double lid, a porous clay body, and a thicker bottom that cook the rice evenly with steady heat distribution. As a result, the rice is fluffier and shinier. I still cook my rice in my rice cooker once in a while, but my family enjoys rice cooked in my Kamado-san, especially special rice dishes like bamboo rice.
Other Methods to Cook Bamboo Rice
You can, of course, prepare Bamboo Rice using other methods. All the preparation steps are exactly the same up till you add rice, broth, and ingredients (in that order) into your cooking pot. Remember, DO NOT MIX the rice and ingredients. Each rice kernel will cook evenly when the rice is compact and next to each other.
Rice Cooker
Once everything is in the inner pot of the rice cooker, close the rice cooker lid. Press the “mixed rice” cooking program/mode, and press start. If your rice cooker doesn’t come with a “mixed rice” setting, go ahead and start cooking rice as you normally do, but do not open the lid for extra 5 minutes after the cooking program is done (after beeping). The “mixed rice” setting helps the bottom of the rice get nice brown char, which we call “Okoge” (お焦げ). Adding those extra 5 minutes for the regular cooking program will give some time for the rice to brown.
Other types of Donabe and Heavy Bottom Pot (Dutch oven) on Stovetop
Place the lid on the pot and start cooking over medium heat. Keep an eye on the liquid/broth until it starts to boil (It’ll take about 10 minutes). Once boiling, turn the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes without opening the lid. When it’s done cooking, quickly open the lid and see if there is any water left. If so, cook additional 1-2 minutes. Then remove it from the heat (don’t keep it on the hot burner), and let it steam for 10-15 minutes.
Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker)
The only difference for the Instant Pot method is that the broth that goes into the Instant Pot needs to be 360 ml, instead of 400 ml. For pressure-cooking Japanese rice, the rice-to-water ratio is 1 to 1. Therefore, the katsuo dashi should be 300 ml (instead of 340 ml), and after adding condiments (total of 60 ml), the total broth will be 360 ml. Close the lid and click MANUAL. Set HIGH pressure for 2 minutes. When it’s finished cooking, the Instant Pot will beep and switch automatically to the “Keep Warm” mode. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes (10-minute “natural release”) and then proceed with a “quick release” by turning the steam release handle to the “venting” position to let steam out until the float valve drops down. Do not exceed more than 10 minutes, fluff the rice and serve immediately (otherwise, rice may stick at the bottom). Whichever method you decide on making this Bamboo Rice (Takenoko Gohan), it is a special time to savor this springtime produce. You could keep it simple by serving bamboo rice with just a side of miso soup, or with the addition of grilled mackerel (saba shioyaki) and a fresh green side like Spinach Gomaae. I hope you enjoy it!
Other Mixed Rice Recipes
Green Pea Rice (Mame Gohan)Takikomi Gohan (Classic Mixed Rice)Wild Pine Mushroom Rice (Matsutake Gohan)Mountain Vegetable Rice (Sansai Gohan)Ginger RiceSweet Onion Takikomi GohanGobo Miso Takikomi GohanChestnut Rice (Kuri Gohan)
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