Seafood Rice Bowl

Why three posts all at once?  Well, I'm blaming too much homework and beer.  Homework for Thursday night and alcohol last night.  (Every time I drink I zonk out.  I woke up this morning to see my TV, DVD player, speakers, and lamp still on.  And, mind you, this is after only one (1) beer that I drink fairly slowly.  I am a fail at drinking.)  ^_^

Rice bowl!!!  I spent most of the day trailing around the Union Square area of Manhattan today, and so got over to one of my favorite Asian markets in the area.  I picked up some enoki mushrooms and these nifty little dried baby shrimp among other things, and decided to toss them all together here.  Rice bowls are super easy and delicious.  I used a lot of seafood flavors here, but you can really add anything that goes with rice and just mix it in.

Seafood Rice Bowl

Ingredients:

1/3 c. rice (rinse if white rice)
1/2 c. water
1/2 in. diakon, pealed
1 small spring onion
1 in. strip of nori seaweed sheet
1 oz. enoki mushrooms, root removed
2 dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted
1 Tbsp. dried baby shrimp
1 Tbsp. bonito flakes
2 pieces imitation crab
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp. mirin

Put the rice in a pot with a tight-fitting lid and cover with measured water.  Bring to a boil.  When all the water has boiled away, remove from heat, but do not remove the lid.  Leave the lid on for at least 10 minutes.

Heat a dry pan and add the crab strips.  Heat on all sides until slightly browned.  Remove the crab from the pan.  Cut them in half width wise and, using a fork, shred the crab into long strips.

Gently pull apart the enoki mushrooms and cut in half.  Slice the shiitake mushrooms into 1/2 in. pieces, then cut them again in half width wise.  Heat a dry pan, then add both mushrooms.  Add the soy sauce and mirin--it should come to a frothy boil.  Continue to cook until almost all the liquid has been absorbed.  Remove from heat.

Cut the diakon into 1/16 in. strips, then cut the strips in half width wise.  Chop the spring onion into fine slices on the diagonal.  Using kitchen shears, cut the nori into 1/8 in. strips.

Remove the lid from the rice.  Add the mushrooms, dried shrimp, bonito flakes, crab, diakon, and spring onion.  Using a spatula, gently fold all the ingredients together.  Top with the nori strips and serve.