Anime Recipes

Rice Bowl - Every Anime.  Ever.

I know, I know, a little lackluster after that last recipe, but it needed to be done.  Rice is such a staple of Japanese culinary culture, it’s hard to see a meal without it.  And as much as I tend to ignore it, there is a proper way to cook rice.  If you have the time, you really should cook rice this way.  There’s nothing wrong with just popping rice into a pot with some water, and turning the stove on, but the difference when you cook it this way is definitely noticeable (as my roommate will adamantly say).  Because so many dishes you find in Japan and in anime use rice, this is a really good guide to refer back to for cooking it (as I intend to do in future recipes—the main reason why I’m putting this here).

Ingredients

• Short grain white rice (Sometimes, I’m out of short grain and just use medium grain white rice, but short grain is preferable.  Don’t use long grain, unless the recipe specifically calls for it)
• Water

Directions

1. Rinse the rice.  You’ll need to do this several times.  Just put the rice (for most dishes, I use 1 cup of rice) into a bowl, add some water, and stir it around with your hands.  You’ll notice the water ends up kind of murky—that’s all just starch.  Then, strain the rice, and rinse it again.  Keep doing this until the water gets to be mostly clear.
2. Strain the rice once last time, and place it in the pot you’ll be cooking it in (unless you are using a rice cooker, then just leave it in the bowl).  Add two times the amount of water as there is rice—for example, 1 cup of rice means 2 cups of water, 1 1/2 cups of rice means 3 cups of water.  Then just let the rice soak in there for at least a hour.
3. Now we cook the rice!  If you’re using a rice cooker, just put the rice and water into the rice cooker and set to cook.  If not, were going to use the 5-5-5 rule to cook it:
4. Turn the stove top up to high and let the water come to a boil.  Once it does, turn the heat down to medium, and let it sit there for 5 minutes.
5. Turn the heat down to very low, and let it sit there for 5 minutes.
6. Then, turn the stove top off, and let it sit for another 5 minutes.
7. If the rice is still a little too moist, stir the rice a bit, and then put the rice back on low heat without the lid for a few more minutes, until the rice is to your liking.

Stuffed Rolled Omelette - Mawaru Penguindrum

To be perfectly honest, I don’t really like eggs.  I never have.  However, Kanba’s and Shoma’s rolled omelettes in Mawaru Penguindrum just looked.  So.  Good.  And I’ll eat anything once.  I’ve tried making plain rolled omelettes before, and just as a warning, it’s tricky.  You need to make sure the egg cooks through, but at the same time, is still raw enough to all stick together.  Don’t forget Kanba’s super special technique of adding chili oil to the egg!

Ingredients

• 3 Eggs
• 1/2 Cup Spinach, Chopped
• 1/3 Cup Grated Mozzarella
• 2 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
• 1 Teaspoon Chili Oil
• 1 Teaspoon Maple Syrup
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar (Optional)
• 1/4 Teaspoon Dashi Powder (Optional)
• Vegetable or Olive Oil

Directions

1. Heat up a small pan (preferably with high sides) on low-medium heat.  Once the pan is hot, add about 2 tablespoons of vegetable or olive oil.
2. Break the eggs into a small bowl, add the dashi powder, chili oil, sugar, and 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, and beat the eggs with a fork.
3. When the oil in the pan is hot, pour half of the egg mixture into the pan.  Swirl/Spread the egg around the pan so that it fills the bottom, and  then sprinkle half of the spinach and mozzarella over the egg.
4. Let the under side of the egg slowly cook.  Then, using a spatula (or even two spatulas), lift up a 1 inch portion of the egg and fold it over the top.  Let the egg cook a little bit, and then repeat folding the egg, until it’s all rolled up.
5. Push the rolled omelette back to the other side of the pan, and pour the rest of the egg in.  Sprinkle the last of the spinach and cheese onto the egg, and repeat step 4 using the already rolled egg as the inside.
6. Let the rolled omelette slowly cook in the pan until the wider sides are nice and browned.
7. Take the omelette out, and slice it into half inch slices.  Mix together the maple syrup and the last of the soy sauce, and pour on top of the rolled omelette.