Mukago ginnan gohan / steamed rice with mountain yam aerial tubers and gingko nuts

A great combination of fall harvest -- mukago, small marble-size aerial tubers, and ginnan gingko nuts. Ginkgo nuts' slightly chewy texture and bittersweet taste perfectly compliment the somewhat creamy texture and subtle nutty taste of mukago. To bring out the best of both ingredients, the steamed rice below is flavored with salt (shiokoji salted rice malt). Mochigome sweet rice is also mixed in to enhance the aroma. 

1/2 of recipe:
281 calories; 4.8 g protein; 0.8 g fat; 59.1 g carbohydrate; 59.3 g net carbs; 104 mg sodium; ０ mg cholesterol; 0.4 g fiber

1/3 of recipe:
187 calories; 3.2 g protein; 0.5 g fat; 39.4 g carbohydrate; 39.5 g net carbs; 69 mg sodium; ０ mg cholesterol; 0.3 g fiber


<Ingredients>

1/2 cup* (90 cc, 75 g) uruchimai regular rice
1/2 cup* (90 cc, 75 g) mochigome sweet rice
Small handful mukago mountain yam aerial tubers (43 g in photo)
Tiny handful ginnan gingko nuts (14 skinned nuts; 27g in photo)
Approx. 170 cc water (not in photo)
1 tbsp sake
1 tsp shiokoji salted rice malt
1 small piece (0.5 g) kombu kelp
* 1 rice cooker cup = 180 cc

<Directions>
1.

Rinse rice, drain well, and let sit for 60+ minutes.

2.

When ready to cook, put sake and shiokoji.

Add water to slightly below the 1-cup mark.

3.

Add mukago and ginnan, and mix well.

Put kombu piece, and cook.

4.

When done, remove kombu, cover again, and let sit for 10 minutes. 

5.

Gently turn.
Ready to serve.

<Notes>

• Shiokoji replaces salt. If using salt, 1/2 tsp should be enough. When cooked with salt, the sodium content of this rice dish would be approx. 300-500 mg for 1/2 serving and approx. 200-350 mg for 1/3 serving, depending on type of salt.
• If cooking in a pot, add less water than when cooking regular rice only. (The more sweet rice you mix in, the less water you use.)
• Changing the rice proportion gives different results. When using equal parts as above, the result is very close to okowa (basically 100% sweet rice), which tastes much richer or mellower than steamed rice made with regular rice only. Mixing in 20-25% sweet rice with regular rice is my starting point when cooking mixed rice, as it gives rich enough texture and aroma but is not particularly heavy. The mellowness from sweet rice is appreciated especially in cold seasons. (Mixing in some sweet rice is also a trick to make medium grain regular rice taste like semi-premium short grain regular rice.)
  
• Using mukago alone also tastes nice.
  
• When other ingredients are added, flavoring with soy sauce works better. Shimeji and carrot are added along with mukago in takikomi gohan mixed rice in photo at right.