Name: Shrimp and Rice, Japanese Style
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT0H30M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT0H50M0.000S
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: asian
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil; 6 to 8 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water until soft, chopped (stems discarded); 1 onion, chopped; 1 piece dried kelp (kombu), 4 to 6 inches long, soaked and chopped, optional; 1 3/4 cups short-grain white rice; 4 cups Dashi, recipe follows, or water, plus more as needed; 2 tablespoons soy sauce, plus more to taste; 1 tablespoon mirin (or 1 1/2 teaspoons honey mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons water); 1 pound large or medium shrimp, peeled and cut into small pieces; 1 1/2 cups chopped snow peas or fresh or frozen peas; Salt, optional; 1 piece dried kelp (kombu), 4 to 6 inches long; 1/2 to 1 cup dried bonito flakes

Directions

Put the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add the mushrooms and onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they're soft and brown in places, about 10 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the soaked kombu reserved from the dashi if desired and the rice; stir to combine. Add the dashi, soy sauce and mirin. Stir, adjust the heat so it bubbles gently, and cover. Cook until the rice is almost fully tender, about 15 minutes.
When you remove the cover, the mixture should still be a little soupy (add a little dashi or water if it's dried out). Stir in the shrimp and peas, then raise the heat a bit and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender, the shrimp cooked and the mixture is still moist but not soupy, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if desired and serve.

Dashi

Yield: Makes 8 cups.

Combine the kelp and 8 cups water in a large pot over medium heat. Do not allow the mixture to come to a boil; as soon as it is about to, turn off the heat, add the bonito flakes and stir. Remove the kelp and reserve it to add to the rice if desired. Let sit for a couple of minutes, then strain. Use the dashi immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Adapted from HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING, Completely Revised Twentieth Anniversary Edition by Mark Bittman. Copyright © 2019 by Double B Publishing, Inc. Used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.