Okowa
 Okowa bento | |
| Alternative names | おこわ (強飯) |
|---|---|
| Type | steamed rice dish |
| Place of origin | Japan |
| Associated cuisine | Japanese |
| Serving temperature | Room Temperature |
| Main ingredients | rice, meat or vegetables |
| Ingredients generally used | wild herbs (sansai okowa) and vessel chestnuts (kuri okowa) |
| Variations | Sekihan or Kowameshi |
Okowa おこわ (強飯) is a Japanese steamed rice dish made with glutinous rice mixed with meat or vegetables.[1] It is sometimes combined with wild herbs (sansai okowa) and vessel chestnuts (kuri okowa).[2] The word Okawa in Japanese means Sekihan or Kowameshi. It is generally boiled glutinous rice blended with Azuki beans to give it red color for festive look, made by boiling regular rice with Azuki beans.[3] Sometimes, dishes made by blending different rice varieties is also known as Okowa.[4] Since Okowa is meant to be eaten at room temperature, it is used to make onigiri for its capacity to be frozen well.
History
Originally referred to plain glutinous rice made in steam, Okowa today refers to red rice, Sekihan. White steamed rice is called by another name.[5]
Variations
Okowa can be mixed with any kind of meat or vegetable composition, kept with the basic rice and different flavors. Some traditional accompaniments, include, sweet potato, chestnuts (pre-cooked), bamboo shoot (boiled) and in the meat add-on, you can mix char siu pork, roasted duck or diced sausage. Other methods of cooking rice, includes, the kayu, the dango, the ojiya, the mochi, and the sushi.[6]
Method to prepare Okowa Riceballs
The ingredients used for making Okowa riceballs, include, Glutinous rice (short-grain), sesame oil, dashi, soy sauce, mirin, salt, ginger, chopped mushrooms and carrots, sweet potato, chestnuts, spring onions, cooked fish, and a sheet of nori.[7] Firstly, the rice is washed with water and is left to be drained for the next thirty minutes. Add rice along with the stock, mirin, sesame oil, salt, sake in a rice cooker and let it stay for thirty minutes. Put meat, vegetables and ginger and put the cooker to the short-grain rice setting. Cover the lid while using the saucepan and bring it to the boil once before turning the flame to low for another twelve minutes. Turn off the flame and steam the rice for ten minutes. Keep the rice in the room temperature and shape it into small triangles or balls. Wrap the base with nori sheet.[7][8]
References
- ^ "Food and Wine Festivals and Events Around the World", C. Michael Hall, Liz Sharples, ISBN 1136402691
- ^ A Taste of Japan, Donald Richie, Kodansha, 2001, ISBN 4-7700-1707-3
- ^ "History of Soybeans and Soyfoods in Japan, and in Japanese Cookbooks and Restaurants outside Japan (701 CE to 2014)", William Shurtleff, Akiko Aoyagi ISBN 9781928914655
- ^ "Kibo ("Brimming with Hope"): Recipes and Stories from Japan's Tohoku", Elizabeth Andoh, ISBN 9781607743705
- ^ Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art Cookery, Food and Drink Series", Shizuo Tsuji, ISBN 9784770030498
- ^ https://books.google.co.in/books?id=8R8TAQAAMAAJ&dq=Okowa+dish&source=gbs_navlinks_s
- ^ a b Daoust, Phil; Khaleeli, Homa; Sawa, Dale Berning; Cacanas, Zoe (22 April 2017). "Four recipes to get your kids eating more veg and less sugar - Cooking with kids". the Guardian. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
- ^ Itoh, Makiko (14 October 2016). "'Kuri': The nutty staple of ancient Japan". Retrieved 6 November 2018 – via Japan Times Online.
