Satsumaimo Gohan is a simple Japanese sweet potato rice made with short-grain rice, satsumaimo, sake, and salt. The sweet potato adds natural sweetness to the lightly seasoned rice. Serve this dish in place of plain rice during fall and winter when sweet potatoes are in season. It makes an everyday meal feel like something seasonal, cozy, and comforting.
Takikomi gohan is Japanese seasoned rice with added ingredients and is a simple way to elevate an everyday meal! This satsumaimo gohan is especially cozy with a natural sweetness from Japanese sweet potatoes. I love this recipe because just by swapping plain rice for this satsumaimo gohan, the whole meal instantly feels fall-y and comforting.
Enjoy this while Japanese sweet potatoes are in peak season. If you love Japanese sweet potato, also try Slow-Roasted Yaki Imo, Japanese Sweet Potato Miso Soup, and Sweet Potato Truffles.
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What Is Satsumaimo Gohan?
Satsumaimo Gohan (さつまいもご飯), also called Japanese sweet potato rice, is a simple seasoned rice made with satsumaimo (さつまいも), Japanese sweet potato. Japanese short-grain rice is cooked with Japanese sweet potato, salt, and sake to create naturally sweet, subtly salty gohan(ご飯, rice).
Satsumaimo Gohan is a classic type of Japanese seasoned rice, takikomi gohan (炊き込みご飯). By cooking rice with sweet potato and seasoning, the rice absorbs all the flavor from the ingredients.
While it's seasoned rice, the flavor is not too strong or salty, so it doesn't overpower the rest of the meal. That makes this rice a perfect side dish to serve with Japanese soups and main dishes, subtly adding cozy flavor to the meal.
Satsumaimo Gohan is especially popular during fall and winter, when sweet potatoes are in peak season.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Japanese sweet potato: I highly recommend using Japanese sweet potatoes for this recipe. They have yellow flesh with reddish-purple skin. They're naturally sweet, and their dense, starchy texture adds creaminess to the rice. I don't recommend orange sweet potato because it can be too wet.
- Rice: Use Japanese short-grain rice for a soft and sticky texture, perfect for a Japanese meal.
- Sake: Sake adds subtle umami and aroma to the rice. If you don't want to use alcohol, you can just omit it.
- Black sesame seeds or gomashio (optional): Gomashio is the simplest form of furikake made with toasted black sesame seeds and salt.
You can use kombu dashi instead of water to cook rice to add a boost of umami!
How to Make Satsumaimo Gohan
In this recipe, you can cook the rice on a stovetop with a pot or a rice cooker.
If you have a rice cooker, you can just let it cook for you. If not, cooking on the stovetop is so easy. I recommend using a donabe or a heavy-bottomed pot like a Le Creuset Dutch oven.
- Soak the rice. Gently rinse the rice several times and soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until the rice is opaque.
- Cut the sweet potato into ½-inch cubes and soak them in water while preparing the remaining ingredients, about 10-15 minutes.
- For the stovetop method. In a heavy-bottomed pot, add the drained rice, water, sake, and salt. Give a quick stir. Place the drained sweet potato cubes on top and cover with a lid. Bring it to a boil over medium heat. Once steam starts to escape from the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for 10 minutes with the lid on.
- For the rice cooker method. Add the drained rice, sake, and salt to a rice cooker and pour water to the 2-cup (2-go) line. Place the drained sweet potato cubes on top. Cook according to the rice cooker instructions.
- Gently mix the rice to evenly distribute the potato. Divide into serving bowls and sprinkle black sesame seeds or gomashio, if using.
Tip: You don't need to mix the sweet potato into the rice before cooking. For Japanese-style rice, it's important to allow water and steam to circulate evenly in a pot. Sweet potato chunks mixed into the rice can block that circulation, which can result in uneven cooking or a watery, mushy texture.
Putting the sweet potato on rice helps the rice absorb the seasonings and cook evenly.
Yoko's Tips for the Best Japanese Sweet Potato Rice
- Use Japanese sweet potato: Japanese sweet potato, or satsumaimo, has a dense, starchy texture and natural sweetness that works beautifully with rice. Regular orange sweet potatoes are softer and more watery, so the texture will be different.
- Keep the skin on: The reddish-purple skin adds a beautiful pop of color and helps the sweet potato pieces hold their shape while cooking. Just scrub the skin well before cutting.
- Soak the sweet potato after cutting: Soaking can reduce browning and bitterness. You just need a quick 10-15 minute soak while preparing the other ingredients.
- Place the sweet potato on top of the rice: After adding the rice, water, sake, and salt to the pot, place the drained sweet potato on top. This helps the rice cook evenly and keeps the sweet potato pieces from breaking too much.
- Mix gently after cooking: Satsumaimo becomes soft and fluffy after cooking, so mix gently with a rice paddle to evenly distribute the sweet potato without smashing it.
- Keep the seasoning light: This rice is meant to be very lightly salted because it is served in place of plain rice. If you want extra flavor, sprinkle gomashio or furikake on top before serving.
Variations
- Use gomashio: Gomashio is a simple Japanese sesame salt seasoning and can be used as furikake. It adds a nutty aroma and a little saltiness, which pairs beautifully with the natural sweetness of satsumaimo.
- Add black sesame seeds: If you want the sesame flavor without extra salt, sprinkle black sesame seeds on top before serving.
- Add kombu dashi: Use kombu dashi instead of plain water for added umami. If you don't have time to make kombu dashi, you can also use a small piece of kombu. Just remove it before gently mixing the rice.
- Make it richer: If you want to make it extra rich, add a small piece of butter to the hot rice after cooking. The rich butter flavor melts into the sweet potato and rice, making it so comforting.
What to Serve With Satsumaimo Gohan
Satsumaimo gohan is a perfect addition to turn any meal into a cozy fall meal.
Satsumaimo gohan is usually served in place of plain rice in fall and winter to enjoy the seasonal harvest. Since it's lightly seasoned, it doesn't overpower other dishes and works wonderfully as part of a Japanese meal.
When building a Japanese meal, I always use the Ichiju Sansai principle. It's a traditional Japanese formula of combining rice, soup, a main dish, and two sides for a balanced and satisfying meal.
Use satsumaimo gohan in the center of the meal, and mix and match these recipe ideas below to build your own Japanese meal.
- Soup: Kabocha Squash Miso Soup, Japanese Sweet Potato Miso Soup, and Shio Koji Tomato Soup.
- Main Dishes: Air Fryer Karaage, Shio Koji Salmon, Shio Koji Chicken, and Nikujaga.
- Side Dishes: Cucumber Sunomono, Tamagoyaki, and Agedashi Tofu.
- Desserts (optional but fun!): Strawberry Mochi, Hanami Dango, Mitarashi Dango, and Shiratama Dango.
Storage and Reheating
Satsumaimo gohan tastes best freshly cooked, when the rice is soft and the sweet potato is fluffy.
If you have leftovers, let the rice cool, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave until warm. If the rice feels dry, sprinkle a little water over it before reheating.
For longer storage, divide the rice into individual portions, wrap tightly, and freeze. Reheat from frozen in the microwave until hot. Freezing is usually better than refrigerating for keeping cooked rice soft and fresh.
More Japanese Recipes
Enjoy more Japanese recipes to enjoy at home!
- Japanese Sesame Dressing
- Tamago Sando
- Kombu Onigiri
- Tuna Mayo Onigiri
- Natto Maki
- Cold Soba Noodle Salad
Satsumaimo Gohan Japanese Sweet Potato Rice
Ingredients
- 1½ cups rice 2 rice cups (2-go)
- 12 oz Japanese sweet potato 1 medium-large sweet potato or 2 small ones, cut the sweet potato into ½-inch cubes
- 1¾ cups water
- 1 Tablespoon sake
- Black sesame seeds or gomashio optional
- ½ teaspoon sea salt see note 1
Instructions
- Soak the rice. Gently rinse the rice several times and soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until the rice is opaque.
- Cut the sweet potato into ½-inch cubes and soak them in water while preparing the remaining ingredients, about 10-15 minutes.
- For the stovetop method. In a heavy-bottomed pot, add the drained rice, water, sake, and salt. Give a quick stir. Place the drained sweet potato cubes on top (see note 2) and cover with a lid. Bring it to a boil over medium heat. Once steam starts to escape from the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for 10 minutes with the lid on.
- For the rice cooker method. Add the drained rice, sake, and salt to a rice cooker and pour water to the 2-cup (2-go) line. Place the drained sweet potato cubes on top (see note 2). Cook according to the rice cooker instructions.
- Gently mix the rice to evenly distribute the potato. Divide into serving bowls and sprinkle black sesame seeds or gomashio, if using.
Notes
Nutrition
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