Photo/Illutration Festive red rice (Photo by Atsuko Shimamura)

Editor’s note: In the Taste of Life series, cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.

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At Hiroko Horie’s home, “sekihan,” or festive red rice made of steamed glutinous rice and red beans, is a fixture at her family members’ birthdays and celebrations.

The dish has been handed down from her grandmother to her mother, then to Horie, with modifications made along the way.

Usually, red rice is a dish that requires time and effort to make.

Glutinous rice is immersed overnight in water left after boiling the red-colored “sasage” beans or “azuki” (red beans) so that it absorbs enough water, then it is drained and steamed for nearly an hour.

Horie’s grandmother followed this method.

However, finding ways to cook red rice more simply was always on the mind of Horie’s late mother, Yasuko, who was also a cooking expert.

Eventually, she was inspired by the recipe for Chinese “chimaki,” or glutinous rice and fillings wrapped in leaves.

When Yasuko made chimaki, glutinous rice absorbed liquid when it was mixed and fried with seasoned soup until it was “half cooked.”

This shortens the cooking time, Yasuko thought, and she decided to apply the method to red rice.

She experimented with how much simmering liquid should be used and finally came up with a recipe.

When this innovative method was introduced on a TV cooking show, it created quite a stir.

This popular recipe will be introduced this week.

When it was Horie’s turn, she responded to the request of those who wanted to make red rice without a steamer. She adapted the recipe to incorporate the microwave, which she had been using quite often.

“O-nishime” (various ingredients simmered in seasoned broth until almost no liquid remains) is a staple side dish to the red rice.

Horie’s grandmother used to measure the seasonings in cups and cook in a large pot.

It tasted sweet and rich in dashi flavor, which was “ideal” to Yasuko and her family.

Yasuko looked into the procedure so that anyone could make it and came up with a recipe listing the amount of ingredients for four servings.

This recipe was also handed down to Horie.

Next year, Horie plans to cook the red rice and o-nishime to celebrate her grandchild coming of age.

“It makes me happy when my grandchild asks me to make them,” says Horie, who says she is looking forward to the occasion.

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Hiroko Horie (Photo by Atsuko Shimamura)

Hiroko Horie is a cooking expert born in Miyazaki Prefecture in 1947. After graduating from Japan Women’s University’s faculty of food science, she has pursued an active career as a cooking expert.

Her forte is time-saving recipes using the microwave and other appliances.

BASIC COOKING METHOD

Main Ingredients (Serves 6)

525 grams (three 200-ml cups) glutinous rice (mochigome), 1/3 cup (50 grams) sasage or azuki beans, 350 ml water used to boil beans (add water to make up for the amount lacking), a little more than 1/2 tsp salt, some black sesame seeds

1. Rinse glutinous rice more than 1 hour before steaming and leave immersed in water.

2. Add generous amount of water and sasage beans (or azuki) to pot, place on heat and bring to a boil. Turn to medium heat and cook until beans soften while occasionally adding water so beans do not emerge from the water. Separate beans from simmering liquid. When latter is lacking, add water to get 350 ml. Pour liquid in frying pan, add salt and bring to a boil.

3. Drain rice thoroughly in sieve and add to simmering liquid in (2). On high heat, let rice absorb all liquid while mixing occasionally. Turn off stove, add beans and mix.

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Let the glutinous rice absorb all the liquid on high heat while mixing occasionally, then turn off the heat and add the beans. (Photo by Atsuko Shimamura)

4. In steamer, lay wet cotton cloth that has been thoroughly wrung out. Add (3) and spread out, leaving a hole in the middle. Steam on high heat for 20 minutes.

5. When done, move rice to “handai” (flat wooden tub), if available, lightly mix entire contents. Serve and sprinkle with black sesame seeds.

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Make a hole in the middle so the steam can escape. (Photo by Atsuko Shimamura)

About 235 kcal and 0.5 gram salt per portion
(Nutrient calculation by the Nutrition Clinic of Kagawa Nutrition University)

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From The Asahi Shimbun’s Jinsei Reshipi (Life Recipe) column

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