During the holidays last year, my husband and I hosted a big sit-down dinner party for his side of the family. We cooked a massive 15lb pot roast, made several different sides (including this hand salad), and ended with lots of sweet nibbles and a layered red-wine cake. But out of everything that we made, this simple mushroom rice was hands-down the favorite dish of the night. It was such a hit that we ran out mid-dinner, and one of my husband’s brothers texted me a few days later asking for the recipe.
It was such a surprise because the mushroom rice was the easiest and most hands-off dish of the night. I had also never made it before–yes I take dangerous risks like that sometimes 😅–and so I had no idea how flavorful the end result would be. But since then it’s become my go-to dish for gatherings.
I can’t take credit for this ingenious dish–my mom came up with it while I was brainstorming ideas with her about the aforementioned dinner party. It’s a riff off a rice dish she makes with cabbage greens, but she thought it’d work well with mushrooms. She also suggested it because, with a full menu to prep and assemble, this would be one less dish to “cook” since the rice cooker does most of the work. So smart! Moms know everything, am I right?
Aside from being so easy to “cook”, this dish also requires just 5 ingredients: rice, mushrooms, sesame oil, fish sauce, and water. These are all staple ingredients in my kitchen, but the one that you may not be as familiar with is fish sauce. Fish sauce is a briny, fermented condiment that imparts a lot of umami depth to dishes. It’s used in a lot of Korean and Asian dishes, and I use it for everything from seasoning soups to vegetables. If you don’t have it on hand and don’t feel like buying this pungent beauty, you can try substituting with soy sauce instead (and then let me know how it turns out!).
As with all cooking recipes, use the following as a guideline and feel free to change up the ratio of ingredients. I’ve formalized the measurements for the blog, but normally I eyeball everything. Even so, it turns out beautifully every time!
More easy dinner party recipes:
The Trader Joe’s Cheese Board
Greek Yogurt Buttermilk Dressing
Easiest Potato Gratin
Mushroom Rice in a Rice Cooker
- Total Time: 15 minutes (except cooking time which will depend on rice cooker)
- Yield: 6-8 servings
- Category: Savory
- Method: Rice Cooker
- Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients
2 cups (450g) short grain white rice
1.15 lbs (524g) medium sized mushrooms (ex. shiitake, crimini, button, etc)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
2 cups (500g) water
Instructions
1. Wash rice under cold water. Drain and place inside the bowl of a rice cooker.
2. Wash mushrooms and cut into 1/4 inch or 0.6cm thick slices. Place inside a bowl and season with the sesame oil and fish sauce.
3. Pour the water over the rice and place the seasoned mushrooms on top. Cook using the mixed rice setting on your rice cooker.
4. When done, mix to evenly distribute the mushroom and seasonings throughout. If needed, add more sesame oil and fish sauce to taste.
Keywords: mushroom, rice, rice cooker, asian, korean
Michelle says
So mad that the mushrooms I bought to make this went moldy! Going to try to make it this week with dried mushrooms I found in my pantry. Fingers crossed it turns out ok!
Jessica says
Michelle- I hope it turned out ok with the dried mushrooms!
Anthony says
Where’s the option to “Jump to Recipe”??
★
Jessica says
Anthony- Just activated!
Chloe says
Why would you rate this one star without actually saying anything about the recipe? That’s misleading to anyone who comes across it.
Alex says
Tried the recipe out with some soy sauce instead of fish sauce and with white mushrooms. Turned out great, love the light and earthy flavor 🙂
★★★★★
Ana says
Made this for a family dinner and everybody loved it! Thank you so much, will definitely make again in the near future.
★★★★★
Jessica says
Ana- So happy you and your family loved it!