Spring Green Pea Rice (豆ご飯, Mame Gohan)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Rice cooker, or a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Shamoji (rice paddle), or a flat wooden spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Wash the rice

   Put the rice in a bowl, cover it with cool water, stir with your fingers, and pour the cloudy water away. Repeat until the water is only faintly milky, then drain the rice in a sieve for 15 minutes. Washing removes loose surface starch so the grains cook cleanly instead of turning gummy.

2. 2

   Shell the peas

   Shell the peas and keep the pods. Discard any peas that are wrinkled or dull. Fresh peas should look bright and feel firm under your fingers, because this dish has no sauce to rescue tired vegetables.

   Frozen peas will make a serviceable rice, but not the same dish. When fresh peas are in season, the pods are part of the flavor.
3. 3

   Simmer the pods

   Put the reserved pods and 2 1/4 cups water in a small pot. Bring just to a gentle simmer and cook for 8 minutes, then strain and discard the pods. You are not making a loud stock, only borrowing the green sweetness from the pods so the rice tastes of peas all the way through.

4. 4

   Blanch the peas

   Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil and cook the shelled peas for 2 to 3 minutes, just until tender. Lift them into cool water, then drain. This keeps their color clear and their skins tender, instead of letting them fade during the full rice-cooking time.

5. 5

   Season the pot

   Put the drained rice in a rice cooker or heavy pot. Add 2 cups of the pod broth, the sake, salt, and konbu, then level the rice with your hand. The sake softens the green aroma and the konbu gives quiet depth, while the salt must be in the pot now so each grain is seasoned from within.

6. 6

   Cook the rice

   Cook on the regular white-rice setting, or bring the covered pot to a boil, reduce to very low heat for 13 minutes, then turn off the heat and rest, still covered, for 10 minutes. Do not lift the lid while it rests. The trapped heat finishes the center of each grain, and impatience steals that last bit of tenderness.

7. 7

   Fold in peas

   Remove the konbu. Scatter the drained peas over the rice, cover again for 3 minutes, then fold gently with a rice paddle, cutting down and turning rather than stirring in circles. The peas only need to warm through, and rough stirring breaks the grains you worked to keep whole.

8. 8

   Serve simply

   Serve in small rice bowls while the grains are glossy and separate. Do not mound it high or press it tight. A little lift is enough, with space in the bowl so the green peas read clearly against the white rice.

Chef Tips

• •Buy peas in the pod if you can. The pod should squeak a little when bent and feel full, not leathery. Once peas turn starchy, no amount of seasoning will bring back spring.
• •A rice cooker is the sensible tool here, not a lesser one. The traditional pot works beautifully, but steady heat and a good rest matter more than romance.
• •If you cook the peas with the rice from the start, use the same recipe and add them before cooking. The flavor will be deeper and the color duller. Both are honest versions, but know the trade.
• •Do not add soy sauce. It muddies the color and pulls the dish away from its clean spring character. Salt is enough.

Advance Preparation

• •The rice can be washed and drained up to 1 hour before cooking. Do not leave washed rice sitting all afternoon, or the grains become brittle at the surface.
• •The pea pod broth can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Bring it back to cool room temperature before cooking the rice.
• •Mame gohan is best the day it is made. Leftovers keep one day refrigerated and are better warmed gently as rice balls than served as a fresh side.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 240g)