Quick and easy, this is a meal that’ll have you going back for seconds.

One of our favourite hacks when it comes to making Japanese-style meals is to whip out our rice cooker and stuff it with all sorts of unconventional ingredients. These so-called “rice cooker recipes” almost always result in surprisingly delicious meals, and our latest culinary experiment turned out to be so tasty and easy to make that we wanted to share it so you can enjoy it too.

The recipe itself is adapted from one created by Marudai Foods, the makers of “Smoked House Aged Wiener” sausages, so you can rest assured that its foundations have been tried and tested for deliciousness. While the brand’s sausages are, as you might expect, on the ingredients list, the recipe also includes vegetables, making it ideal for people looking to add more nutrition to their diets, and for parents looking for a tasty way to encourage their kids to eat veggies.

So let’s get cooking, starting first with the ingredients you’ll need.

• Marudai Foods “Smoked House Aged Wiener” sausages x 1 pack
• Carrot x 1
• Canned sweetcorn x 1 can
• Uncooked rice x 2 go (“go” is a traditional rice-measuring unit that equates to about 150 grams, so you’ll need 300 grams)
• Granulated dashi soup stock x 1 tablespoon
• Soy sauce x 1.5  tablespoons
• Cooking sake x 1 tablespoon
• Chopped green onions to garnish

Method

1.  Cut the wieners diagonally in half. Peel the carrot, and drain the corn from the can.

2. Add the rice to the rice cooker, then add the dashi granules, and water to the scale of “2 go” on the side of the bowl. Place all the other  ingredients on top and press the button to start the rice-cooking cycle.

3. After it’s cooked, mix everything well and top with green onions. Then add extra soy sauce, and butter if you like, and you’re done!

The moment you open the rice cooker, the smoky aroma and the umami of the wiener emanates upwards, instantly stimulating your appetite. Though the whole carrot might seem large, it’s so soft that it can be easily cut with a shamoji rice paddle and mixed around.

When you go to serve the meal, it’ll look so colourful and appetising that even the most veggie-averse diners won’t be able to resist trying it.

Everything is so soft and moreish you’ll be going back for refills, and the mix of carbs and protein will fill you up nicely.

As the rice cooks, it absorbs all the savoury flavour from the sausages, making everything extra tasty. It’s a fun and easy way to make a nutritious meal that actually tastes good, and once you’ve mastered a recipe like this you can move on to slightly more challenging, and more carb-heavy, meals like this massive deep-dish Chicago pizza.

Related: Marudai Foods, Twitter/@marudaiwanpaku
Photos ©SoraNews24
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