Sansai okowa

Step 1: Drain the soaked 10 ½ oz glutinous (sticky) rice in a sieve for 15 minutes; the grains should be chalky white all the way through and break easily between your nails.

Step 2: Lift the 4 dried shiitake mushrooms from their soaking water, squeeze them, cut off the stems and slice the caps thinly. Keep the soaking liquid and strain it through a fine sieve to remove grit.

Step 3: Measure the shiitake liquid and top it up with water to 270 ml. Pour it into a heavy pot with a tight lid, add the 2 ½ tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, ¼ tsp salt and 1 piece kombu, and stir to dissolve.

Step 4: Stir in the drained rice so it lies level, then scatter the sliced shiitake, 5 ½ oz boiled mixed mountain vegetables (sansai), 3 ½ oz boiled bamboo shoot and ½ carrot on top without stirring them in. The liquid should only just reach the top of the rice.

Step 5: Bring to the boil over a medium-high heat, then put the lid on, turn the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 15 minutes. Don't lift the lid.

Step 6: Turn off the heat and leave the pot covered for 10 minutes to steam. The rice is done when the liquid has gone, the grains are translucent and chewy, and none taste hard in the middle. If a few are still firm, sprinkle with 2 tbsp water, cover and steam on the lowest heat for 3 minutes more.

Step 7: Remove the kombu, then fold the vegetables through the rice with a damp rice paddle, cutting rather than stirring so the grains stay whole. Sprinkle with 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds and serve warm, or cool and shape into rice balls with wet hands. Rice cooker: put everything in the inner pot, set the water to the sticky-rice line and use the okowa setting.