Satsumaimo Gohan Japanese Sweet Potato Rice
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.
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
Note 1: This recipe is meant to be very lightly salted, so you might feel it is under-salted. That's because, in Japan, sweet potato rice is enjoyed in place of plain rice. For extra flavor, sprinkle gomashio or furikake for extra saltiness and to enhance the natural sweetness of the sweet potato.
Note 2: 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.
Please note that the nutritional information provided is just an estimate, and accuracy is not guaranteed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 336kcalCarbohydrates: 73gProtein: 6gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2gSodium: 346mgPotassium: 368mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 12066IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 51mgIron: 1mg
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