Grandma's Recipes 
福岡県 
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Japanese Grandma's Chicken Rice (Kashiwa Meshi)
Kashiwa meshi is a beloved regional rice dish from Fukuoka in southern Japan. In Kyushu, chicken is affectionately called 'kashiwa,' and this flavorful rice features chicken, burdock root, and shiitake mushrooms pre-cooked in a sweet soy glaze before being combined with rice in the cooker.
🧂 Ingredients
servings
* In traditional Japanese grandma cooking, measurements are approximate — think of them as guidelines rather than exact amounts.
| Main Ingredients | |
| Rice | 3合 (Washed and drained) |
| Chicken thigh | 200g (Cut into small pieces) |
| Gobo (burdock root) | 1本 (approx. 150〜180g) (Shaved into thin strips (sasagaki) and soaked in water) |
| Dried shiitake mushrooms | 3枚 (approx. 6〜9g（乾燥）) (Rehydrated and minced (save the soaking liquid)) |
| Seasonings | |
| Soy sauce | 大さじ4 |
| Mirin (sweet rice wine) | 大さじ2 |
| Sugar | 大さじ1 |
| Sake (cooking rice wine) | 大さじ2 |
👩🍳 Instructions
- 1
Rehydrate the dried shiitake mushrooms in water and mince. Save the soaking liquid for later.
- 2
Cut the chicken thigh into small pieces. Shave the burdock root into thin strips and soak in water to remove bitterness.
- 3
Heat a little oil in a frying pan and stir-fry the chicken, burdock root, and shiitake mushrooms.
💡 Cook over medium heat until everything is well done
- 4
When cooked through, add the soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and sake. Cook until the liquid has almost completely evaporated and the ingredients are well glazed.
💡 Watch carefully to avoid burning - the goal is a rich glaze coating everything
- 5
Put the washed rice in the rice cooker. Add the shiitake soaking liquid, then add water up to the 3-cup mark.
💡 Using the mushroom soaking liquid adds a wonderful umami depth
- 6
Place the glazed ingredients (with their remaining sauce) on top of the rice without mixing. Cook on the normal rice setting. Once done, mix everything together thoroughly.
💡 Don't mix before cooking - place the ingredients on top and let the rice cooker do the work
📖 Memories & Stories
In Fukuoka, we call chicken 'kashiwa,' and this seasoned rice was a real staple. The key is cooking the toppings first, so the flavor soaks through every grain. It tastes great cold too - grandma would make onigiri for me to take along. That's one of my favorite memories.
Source: Heard from family (parents, siblings, etc.) (Submitted by: ゆきおとこ)
🍽 Cultural Background
Kashiwa meshi is one of the signature dishes of Fukuoka Prefecture. In Kyushu, the word 'kashiwa' refers to chicken, and this seasoned rice is also beloved as an ekiben (train station bento). The technique of pre-cooking the ingredients in a sweet soy glaze before adding them to the rice cooker ensures deeply seasoned, flavorful rice.
