Chicken_Okowa

‘Okowa’ is a type of steamed glutinous rice dish, often mixed with vegetables, nuts and other various ingredients. This chicken and vegetable ‘Okowa’ is, I can say quite surely, one of my top 3 favourite dishes.

Glutinous Rice is used to make ‘Mochi’ and it has sticky and rubbery texture. My mother used to make this ‘Okowa’ using a large steamer. The texture of her steamed ‘Okowa’ is quite elastic and rubbery.

I don’t use the steamer. I use my rice cooker. It is much easier and the result is good enough for me. The only problem of this ‘Okowa’ is too yummy and I always end up eating too much!


Makes

4 to 6 Servings

Ingredients

2 cups (*180ml cup) Glutinous Rice *short grain preferred
1 cup (*180ml cup) Japanese Short Grain Rice
2 Chicken Thigh Fillets *about 250g
1 tablespoon Sake
1 pinch Salt
80g Bamboo Shoots (I use canned cooked Bamboo Shoots) *sliced
1 to 2 teaspoons Soy Sauce
1/2 Carrot *about 80g
5 to 6 Shiitake *about 80g
Toasted Sesame Seeds for topping
1 Spring Onion for topping *finely sliced

Soup Ingredients

2 cups (500ml) Chicken Stock *OR 2 cups Water & 2 teaspoons Asian Chicken Bouillon Powder
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon Mirin

Method
  1. Wash Glutinous Rice and Regular Short Grain Rice together and drain well.
  2. Cut Chicken into 2cm size and place in a bowl. Add Sake and 1 pinch Salt and massage, set aside.
  3. Place drained Bamboo Shoots in a bowl, add Soy Sauce and marinate while you are preparing other vegetables.
  4. Cut Carrot in half lengthways and slice 3 to 4 mm thick. Slice Shiitake. If you use dried Shiitake, they must be well rehydrated.
  5. Make soup by mixing all the ingredients.
  6. Place Chicken pieces in the rice cooker’s inner pot, cover with well-drained Rice, place Bamboo Shoots, Carrot and Shiitake slices over the Rice evenly. DO NOT MIX. Gently pour the soup.
  7. Press Cook/Start button. When the rice is cooked and steamed, mix to combine.
  8. Sprinkle with some Toasted Sesame Seeds and finely chopped Spring Onion and enjoy.