One day, after making Simmered Ganmodoki in broth,
there was a little bit of cooking liquid left in the pot.
It felt too good to throw away,
so I decided to toss in whatever mushrooms I had in the refrigerator.
That day, it was nameko mushrooms, enoki, and maitake.
The flavor seemed a little diluted,
so I added a bit more soy sauce and mirin,
then let everything gently simmer.
And somehow, something unexpected happened.
“Oh… this is nametake.”
To be honest, I don’t actually know how to make nametake.
But the leftover dashi broth, mixed with soy sauce, mirin, and the rich flavor of the mushrooms,
had quietly turned into the perfect companion for rice.
First, I think you should try spooning plenty of it over a bowl of warm white rice.
The enoki still had a slight crispness.
The maitake was plump and tender.
And the silky texture of the nameko gently brought everything together.
The sweet and salty flavor of soy sauce,
the aroma of dashi…
It felt like the kind of flavor many Japanese people grow up loving.
The kind that makes you take one bite of rice, then immediately another.
Soy sauce, mirin, dashi.
Somehow, they always seem to make a good team.
And once the mushrooms add their own deep umami,
it almost feels impossible for it not to become delicious.
While eating, I was already thinking about the next meal.
Maybe tomorrow I could turn it into a rice bowl for Moriyan’s lunch.
Or pour it over tofu.
It would probably be good with fried taro, too.
Maybe even noodles.
One dish quietly leads to another.
I think that’s one of the things I love most about home cooking.
Of course, I also enjoy carefully following recipes.
But there’s something special about the meals that happen accidentally in the kitchen.
So if you happen to have a few mushrooms sitting in your refrigerator,
maybe give it a try.
You might suddenly find yourself unable to stop eating rice.
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