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Ikameshi
いかめし: whole squid stuffed with sticky rice and simmered in sweet soy
At Mori, a small fishing town on the railway north of Hakodate, ikameshi has been sold as a station lunchbox since the war years, when rice was scarce and squid was plentiful. It is still one of Japan's best-known station bentos and a star of the regional food fairs that department stores hold all over the country. Small squid are stuffed with soaked glutinous rice, pinned shut and simmered in a sweet soy sauce until the rice swells into a sticky, savoury filling. Slice them into rounds to serve warm or at room temperature. Chef's tip: use small squid with bodies about 15 cm long, as larger ones need longer cooking and turn rubbery before they soften again.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the squid
For the simmering sauce
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Rinse 2 ⅞ oz glutinous rice (mochigome) and ⅔ oz Japanese short-grain rice together until the water runs fairly clear, then cover with cold water and soak for 30 minutes while you clean the squid. Drain well.
30 minStep 2: Hold the body of each 4 small whole squid and gently pull out the head and tentacles; the innards come with them. Pull out the clear quill from inside the body and rinse the tube well inside and out.
Step 3: Cut the tentacles off just below the eyes, discard the eyes, innards and hard beak, and chop the tentacles finely. Mix them into the drained rice.
Step 4: Spoon the rice into each squid body until it is only about a third full. Common mistake: packing the squid full. The rice nearly doubles as it cooks and will split the squid open. Close each opening with a cocktail stick threaded in and out.
Step 5: Put 1 ¾ cups water, 4 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp sugar, 3 tbsp sake, 2 tbsp mirin and 4 slices fresh ginger in a pan just big enough to hold the squid in one layer and bring to the boil. Sake and mirin contain alcohol; for an alcohol-free sauce, leave them out and add 4 tbsp extra water and 1 tbsp extra sugar.
3 minStep 6: Lay the squid in the sauce. Within a minute they will turn opaque and shrink; prick each one 2–3 times with a cocktail stick so trapped air can escape.
2 minStep 7: Cover with a drop lid or circle of baking paper and simmer over a low heat for 30 minutes, turning the squid every 10 minutes. They are ready when the squid is tender again and the rice inside feels soft when you press it.
30 minStep 8: Take off the heat and leave the squid in the sauce for 10 minutes to soak up colour. Lift them out and boil the sauce over a high heat for 2–3 minutes until syrupy.
13 minStep 9: Remove the cocktail sticks, slice each squid into 2 cm rounds and drizzle with the reduced sauce. Eat warm or at room temperature; leftovers keep in the fridge for 2 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ikameshi take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of glutinous rice (mochigome)?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of japanese short-grain rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
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