Recipes

Kombu and Squid Steamed Rice

  • Serves

    serves 4-6

ANDRE BARANOWSKI

The Japanese have been cooking with edible kelp such as kombu for more than a millennium; it has a unique flavor-boosting power thanks to a high concentration of glutamate, the molecule responsible for the savory "fifth taste" we call umami. This one-pot sticky rice dish from chef Tadashi Ono combines sweet squid, spicy ginger, and shredded makombu, the highest grade of kombu. It makes for a surprisingly satisfying, simple meal thanks to the complex layering of savory, spicy and subtly sweet flavor. This recipe first appeared in our October 2014 issue with the story Spectacular Seaweed.

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. fresh or frozen and defrosted squid, bodies cleaned, halved length-wise, and cut crosswise ½" thick, tentacles left whole
  • 2 oz. shredded makombu
  • 2 cups short grain rice, rinsed until water runs clear, and drained
  • 3 tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 (3") piece ginger, peeled and julienned
  • 14 cup roughly chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Step 1

Bring squid, makombu, rice, soy sauce, ginger, and 2 cups water to a boil in a 4-qt. saucepan. Reduce heat to low; cook, covered, until rice is tender, about 30 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes, then uncover and stir. Transfer to bowls; garnish with parsley, if you like.

Continue to Next Story

Want more SAVEUR?

Get our favorite recipes, stories, and more delivered to your inbox.