Rice-Cooker Kufaa Jushi
クファジューシー·(kufaa-juushii)
The American Uchinanchu Pantry (Foundations)
For first-generation Okinawan-Americans growing up in a quiet Ohio suburb, far from the subtropical breezes of the Ryukyu islands, this is the smell that signaled a special day. Kufa Jushi is the canonical Okinawan mixed rice, eschewing the delicate seafood of mainland Japan for an unapologetically rich marriage of land and sea. Built on a foundational broth of boiled pork belly, kelp, and bonito, its weeknight success relies on two immutable secrets: cooling that golden pork liquid so the rice cooker's sensor isn't fooled, and layering the solid ingredients on top without stirring to ensure a flawless, aromatic steam.
Before you start
Wash and rest the rice.
Rinse the short-grain rice under cold water until it runs mostly clear, then let it drain in a strainer for 30 minutes to absorb surface moisture.
Hydrate the dry goods.
Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in a half cup of warm water, and the hijiki in a separate bowl of water for 15 minutes. Squeeze the excess liquid out of the mushrooms—reserving their soaking water—and drain the seaweed well.
Ingredients
- Japanese short-grain rice1 1/2 cup
- skinless pork belly5 oz
- dried shiitake mushrooms2 med
- dried hijiki seaweed1 tbsp
- carrot1/3 cup
- kamaboko1 1/2 oz
- Hondashi granules1 tsp
- soy sauce1 1/2 tbsp
- sake1 tbsp
- mirin1 tbsp
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- lard1 tbsp
- scallions2 med
Method
- 01
Extract the canonical pork broth.
Place the pork belly in a small saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Skim any foam, simmer for 10 minutes, then remove the pork and set it aside to cool.
- 02
Reserve and cool the cooking liquid.
Pour the precious pork broth into a measuring cup and let it cool completely to room temperature. Adding hot broth to a rice cooker tricks its temperature sensor into ending the cycle prematurely, leaving you with undercooked rice.
- 03
Practice the arare-giri chop.
Cut the cooled pork belly and the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms into very small, uniform 1/4-inch cubes to match the carrots and kamaboko, ensuring everything cooks evenly in time with the rice.
- 04
Assemble the liquid base.
Add the drained rice to the rice cooker bowl along with the sake, mirin, soy sauce, salt, Hondashi granules, and the reserved shiitake soaking liquid. Top it off with the cooled pork broth until the liquid reaches the two-cup line on your machine, then stir gently to dissolve the seasonings.
- 05
Layer the ingredients without mixing.
Scatter the diced pork, carrots, mushrooms, kamaboko, and hijiki in an even layer directly on top of the rice. Do not stir them in; mixing disrupts the natural convection currents and prevents the water from bubbling up through the grains properly.
- 06
Cook and fold in the richness.
Run the cooker on its standard white or mixed rice setting. The moment it finishes, open the lid, add the lard and chopped scallions, and use a rice paddle to fold everything together with a slicing motion, fluffing the rice and coating the grains in the savory fat.
Notes
Render your own lard.
Lard is non-negotiable for the true Okinawan flavor. If you don't keep a tub in the fridge, carefully skim the solid white fat off the top of your cooled pork broth and use that instead.
Choose the right rice.
Use a Japanese short-grain rice like Calrose or Nishiki; long-grain varieties like Jasmine do not possess the necessary amylopectin levels for the dish's signature chew.
From Cook Okinawan in America.