This easy, delicately flavored Japanese-style dish is the perfect way to showcase fresh sweet corn when it is in season. Short-grain sushi rice gets cooked with corn (including its cob!) in water that's been infused with kombu and soy sauce, creating a sweet and savory springboard for all sorts of summer meals. There are so many simple ways to enjoy it: alongside a fresh salad, miso soup, or grilled meat; mixed with a dab of butter and topped with shredded shiso leaves; sautéed with butter and more soy sauce as a quick fried rice; shaped into onigiri (rice balls) with flaked cooked salmon tucked into its center. This recipe is easily halved, and you can also make it in a rice cooker.—Hana Asbrink
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What you’ll need
Large Saucepan with Lid
$39 At Amazon
Mesh Sieve
$13 At Amazon
Measuring Cups
$28 At Bon Appétit Market
Measuring Spoons
$10 At Bon Appétit Market
Wooden Spoon
$7 At Amazon
Medium Bowl
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Chef's Knife
$34.53 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4–6 servings
Ingredients
2
1
1
1½
1
Preparation
Step 1
Soak the rice. Place 2 cups sushi rice in a medium bowl and pour in water to cover. Rinse rice, swishing around with your hand. Drain and repeat two to three times until water is mostly clear (it doesn’t have to be crystal clear, just not cloudy). Cover with fresh cold water and let sit 30 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, prepare the corn. Shuck 1 ear of corn, then place horizontally on a cutting board. Cut off kernels with a chef’s knife, rotating cob as you finish each side. Stand cob upright and using the back of the knife, scrape cob to release corn juices and starch (a.k.a. the milk) from cob onto kernels. If cob is too long to fit in your pot, cut in half.
Step 3
Drain rice. Combine rice and 2¼ cups water in a small Dutch oven or large saucepan. Stir in 1 Tbsp. soy sauce and 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt, then place corn, corn milk, cob, and one 5x3" piece dried kombu on top of rice. Press to submerge in water. Cover pot with a tight-fitting lid and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, 6–8 minutes (listen for it). Reduce heat to low and continue cooking (still covered) 15 minutes more. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, 10 minutes.
Step 4
Remove lid and pull out cob and kombu; discard. Fluff with a rice paddle or wide wooden spoon, mixing corn and rice together. (If you happen to get a light golden crust on the bottom of your rice—enjoy it!) Serve warm, topped with a small pat of unsalted butter and drizzled with toasted sesame oil and more soy sauce if desired.
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Reviews (25)
Back to Topwhere are the recst of the reviews??
HBcook
Chaska, MN
8/21/2023
I've made this recipe twice now. The second time I cut back on the soy sauce a little. This a great way to appreciate the fresh sweet taste of summer corn. IMO I don't think it needs the butter and sesame oil to finish it off. It's so good the way it is!!
Mardy M
Rolling Hills Estates, CA
8/23/2021
Very simple and delicious. This recipe makes a LOT of rice. I wish it had specified how much yield you should expect from your corn. The cobs I had were on the smaller side, so I used two and I'm very glad I did. In fact, I might have used even more. I was surprised that the kernels stayed nicely crunchy, and not overcooked at all. The butter is a nice addition and the sesame oil is good, too -- but I felt it turned the dish into something different. Without it, I appreciate the corn flavor much more clearly.
Anonymous
Kansas City
7/27/2021