umeboshi (pickled plum) rice is pretty much exactly what you would expect it to be. it's quick to make; uses up leftover rice that's been sitting in your rice cooker for one too many days; & is especially yummy during humid summers in which you might experience mild heatstroke (熱中症) and lose your appetite. umeboshi gohan can be eaten cold and has plenty of salt from the pickled plum, so it is a good way to eat filling carbs and electrolytes to maintain water content in your body. i know it's currently january in the dry town (humidity not alcohol-wise) of san luis obispo, so this advice doesn't hold much weight (wAter weight, if you will), but it's still something to keep in mind!
INGREDIENTS
- sesame oil (can be substituted with canola oil, but sesame has a much better flavor)
- short grain rice
- umeboshi (pickled plum)
- additional toppings of your choosing (green onion, sesame seed, seaweed)
1. Drizzle sesame oil on the pan, and add the rice cold.
2. Once the rice has heated up, add an umeboshi and break it down into pieces with chopsticks. Continue cooking on medium heat. You can add more oil and cook the rice until it's crispy if you prefer.
3. If you have it, add sesame seed and green onion as garnish.
4. Serve! This can be eaten warm or cold- I honestly prefer it room temperature on hot days.
last time i posted a recipe i feel like i leaned to heavily on comedy and it clouded the recipe (and this post already doesn't have much content to begin with) so i'll keep it short and end it here.
i looked a little on the internet, and i'm pretty sure this is just something my mom came up with (and is also easy enough that i doubt it fully counts as a recipe), but i thought i would share it anyway! if you have dashi, mirin, and soy sauce on hand, i would recommend "ume takikomi gohan" instead, which involves adding the ingredients to the rice cooker so the flavors mix as they cook (sirogohan.com/recipe/umetakikomi/ and a ume-tuna variant cookpad.com/recipe/2046574 if you're curious).
alternatively, you could just microwave your leftover rice and plop an umeboshi on top but you know, what's the fun in that?
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