Instant-Style Miso Soup and Clay Pot Rice

Rinse the rice. Wash it well with water, drain in a colander, transfer to the clay pot, and add 430ml of water. The amount of water varies with the shape of the pot, so cook a few times to find the right amount.

Measure the water for the miso soup. Using the Yoshiharu Doi method, fill a bowl with water for each serving and pour it into the pot. Two bowls this time.

Add the granulated dashi. Use all three kinds, kombu, katsuo, and niboshi (or ago), about 1 level teaspoon for two bowls of miso soup. If you are using real dashi, adding an umami seasoning such as Ajinomoto deepens it further.

Add just a tiny bit of sake. It makes the flavor richer.

Add a splash of soy sauce. It is a fermented seasoning like miso, so they pair well, and it plays the same role as the yeast extract manufacturers use.

Add the sugar. Commercial miso soup and granulated dashi already contain it, so think of this as topping it up to build the dashi further. Mirin can be used instead of the sake and sugar.

Add the ingredients. Add the aburaage, green onion, and dried wakame.

Bring to a quick boil to cook off the alcohol.

Dissolve in the miso. Rice and soybean miso is the classic choice. If you are aiming for a restaurant or instant finish, strain it to remove the solids.

Return to the rice and set the clay pot over medium heat. It will come to a boil in about 6 minutes, so lower the heat to keep it from boiling over and cook for another 11 minutes.

Once cooked, turn off the heat and let it steam in the residual heat for 10 minutes. Enjoy the miso soup along with the rice, its grains standing separate.