Ginnan gohan / gingko nut rice

Nutty, starchy little gingko nuts are another reminder of fall. Lightly salted to bring out the soft sweetness of mochigome rice.

<Ingredients>

4/5 cup* regular rice
1/5 cup* mochigome sweet rice
Approx. 180 cc water (not in photo)
10-12 ginnan gingko nuts
1 tbsp sake
1/2 tsp salt (or 1 tsp shiokoji salted rice malt for reduced-sodium diet)
3 cm piece kombu kelp
*180 cc rice cooker cup


<Directions>
1.

Rinse regular and sweet rice together, drain, and let sit for 30+ minutes.

2.

Meanwhile, crack open gingko nut shells with a hammer or heavy bottle opener.
Remove shells, blanch for 1-2 minutes, and skin.
(See “Ginnan gingko nut prep” for photos.)
Set aside.

3.

When ready to cook, add sake, then water to slightly below 1-cup mark.  

Add gingko nuts and salt, mix well, put kombu, and cook. 

4.

When done, remove kombu, wait for 10 minutes, and gently fluff.

<Notes>

• While blanching gingko nuts is faster and more common, you can roast gingko nuts in their cracked shells in a frying pan (without oil), and remove shells and skin while hot. Roasted gingko nuts are somewhat chewy and add a toasty note to the rice. 
• This tastes best when prepared with fresh gingko nuts. Ready-to-use prepacked gingko nuts may be convenient but their defects will come through in this dish with simple flavoring.  
• If you are cooking in a pot instead of a rice cooker, the total amount of liquid (sake and water) needs to be slightly less than the amount when cooking plain rice (use 10% more water than rice). Since you will add 1 tbsp (15cc) sake, 175cc water is probably is enough. The more sweet rice you use, the less water you need.
• Do not eat too many gingko nuts at one time. Kids in particular should not eat more gingko nuts than their age in years.  See “Ginnan gingko nuts” for details.

(Last updated: July 23, 2017)