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Sekai Gohan

Takana Meshi: Aso Pickled Mustard Greens Mixed Into Warm Rice

Servings 4 servings

A bowl of takana meshi: rice mixed with chopped pickled mustard greens, topped with shredded egg crepe and white sesame seeds
Steps with photos

Ingredients

Ingredient Amount Role
Cooked white rice, warm (gohan) 1 lb 7 oz (640 g), about 4 light rice bowls The base; it has to be warm so it takes the oil evenly
Pickled takana (takana-zuke) 4¼ oz (120 g) Salt, sourness and heat; the main flavor
Salad oil 4 tsp For the thin egg crepe only
Eggs 4 Shredded egg crepe (kinshi tamago)
Sesame oil 4 tbsp For frying the pickle; carries the aroma into the rice
Soy sauce (shoyu) 4 tsp Seasoning
Mirin 4 tsp Seasoning and gloss
Sugar 4 tsp Sweetness that rounds the salt and sourness
Toasted white sesame seeds 2 tsp Toasty finish

Steps

  1. 1Squeeze and chop the takana

    Lightly squeeze the brine from the pickle with your hands. If the stems are thick, slice them thinly first. Then chop everything finely, to about ⅛ inch (3–4 mm). Small, even pieces spread through the rice and give every mouthful the same salt. Stop when the pile is uniform and holds together, with no long strips of stem left in it.

  2. 2Cook a thin egg crepe

    Beat the 4 eggs well. Heat the salad oil in the frying pan over medium heat, pour in the egg and tilt the pan to spread it thin. Do not let it brown. When the surface turns dry and matte, flip it and cook the other side briefly. If it tears, carry on: it will be shredded anyway. It is ready when the edges dry and lift away from the pan on their own.

    Keep the egg pale

    Medium heat and a thin layer keep the crepe soft and bright yellow. Brown spots make the strands tough and spoil the color on top of the rice.

  3. 3Cool the crepe and cut kinshi egg

    Slide the crepe onto the cutting board and let it cool until it is just warm. Fold or roll it loosely so the layers stack. Slice across as thinly as you can, then shake the strands loose with your fingers. You want fine, fluffy threads of pale yellow, not ribbons. Set them aside.

  4. 4Fry the takana and season it

    Wipe the pan and heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Add the chopped takana and stir-fry until it softens and the oil soaks in. Add the soy sauce, mirin and sugar and keep tossing until the liquid cooks off and the smell turns toasty. Turn off the heat, then stir in the sesame seeds. Take it off before the stems lose their bite: they should still feel slightly crisp between your teeth.

    Sesame seeds go in off the heat

    Added to a hot pan over the flame, the seeds scorch and lose their aroma. Add them to the hot pan after the heat is off and they stay toasty.

  5. 5Fold the takana through the warm rice

    Put the warm rice in the large bowl. Scrape in the takana with every bit of oil from the pan. With the rice paddle, cut down through the rice and fold it over, turning the bowl as you go, so the grains stay whole. Keep going until the green is spread evenly and every grain has a light shine of oil.

  6. 6Mound in bowls and top with the egg

    Spoon the rice into rice bowls, pressing it lightly so it forms a neat rounded dome. Scatter the shredded egg over the top in a loose nest. Add a pinch more sesame if you like. Serve while the rice is still steaming and the egg is bright against the green.