Kani meshi / crab rice

A simple version of kani kamameshi [crab rice cooked in clay pot]. Fluffy julienned egg crepe adds a soft texture while giving additional flavor to this dish.

<Ingredients>

1 cup* rice
Handful (70-100 g) crab meat
Approx. 200cc dashi
1 tbsp sake
1 1/2 tsp usukuchi soy sauce
1 small piece kombu kelp
Handful kinshitamago julienned egg crepe (with 1 egg, 1 tbsp dashi, 1/2 tsp potato starch; not in photo)
*180 cc when using a rice cooker


<Directions>
1.
Wash rice, drain, and let sit for 30-60 minutes.

2.

When ready to cook, add sake, usukuchi soy sauce, and then dashi to the 1-cup mark. Mix well.

3.

Place crab meat and kombu kelp piece on top, and cook.

4.

Meanwhile, prepare kinshitamago.

5.

When done, wait 10 minutes, remove kombu and several crab meat chunks, and gently turn and mix rice.

Keep removed crab meat pieces warm until serving (place in a small container and put on top of rice in the rice cooker, for example).

6.

Serve in bowls, top with kinshitamago and crab meat pieces.

<Notes>

• If using canned crab meat, use the liquid as part of (katsuo) dashi.
• For this recipe, kinshitamago uses dashi instead of sake for a milder flavor. Sake works fine too, but the flavor of egg is tasted more straightforwardly.
• Do not compress kinshitamago as you place it on top of rice. Its fluffy, airy layer lightens the texture of this dish when eaten with rice.
• No salt is added to this dish, because usukuchi soy sauce (saltier than regular soy sauce) is used, and crab meat adds some saltiness to the rice, too.
• If usukuchi soy sauce is not available, regular soy sauce works fine. Since it's darker, use 1 tsp and add 1/4 tsp salt.