This is the perfect hearty & filling, vegan meal. Steamed Mu Rice is super healthy & easy to make too. Plus you need just 2 ingredients: Daikon (a.k.a. Mooli - or if you can find it, Korean Mu. To simplify I will just refer to as Daikon here) and Short Grain Rice. I like to add frozen spinach (inspired by a Korean thistle called Gon Deu Lae- I think it's very similar in terms of texture and taste) because it adds colour + more veg! Everything is thrown into a pot and steamed for about 30 min and Voila! Meal sorted!
There are a few steamed veg rice dishes that follow the same guidelines with some small tweaks. Examples being Bean Sprouts (Kong na mul), Mushrooms, Korean Thistle (Gon deu lae). I will share the other recipes too in a later post highlighting the tweaks.
This dish MUST be accompanied by the Korean Super Sauce :)
Note that the amount of water is very important because the veg naturally has water in it which adds to the rice whilst cooking. This is why you need less water when making this dish compared to normal steamed rice. We want the rice to be fluffy - not too wet and sticky.
Cooking time: 40 min of which 15 active
Note ratios: For one person 1/2 c rice = 1 c julienned daikon (overflowing) = 1.3 c water.
For 3-4 servings:
What you need:
Short Grain Rice - 1.5 cups
Daikon - 1 medium ( about 3 cups julienned)
Greens- 3 frozen spinach cubes. You can also use thinly sliced kale, swiss chard, cavo nero etc
Water - 2 cups
Korean Super Sauce (4 portions)
Soy Sauce : 4 Tbsp
Sesame Oil : 4 tsp
Sesame Seeds : 4 tsp
Garlic : 4 tsp minced
Spring Onion : 4 Tbsp chopped
Gochugaru : 1 tsp (optional)
Taste and tweak to your taste
What to do:
If you are using frozen spinach then you may want to set this out at room temp a few hours early. Of course there are quicker ways of defrosting frozen spinach (e.g. microwave or steaming). Or you may not be using or using a different type of green (I recommend something neutral in taste).
First the Rice: Short grain rice is recommended for this dish. It's the right level of stickiness and texture. Measure it out into a pot, wash 3 times (just like the perfect Korean Mama Steamed Rice). Then drain the rice completely by pouring it into a mesh colander and letting it sit for a few minutes or shaking it to get rid of any remaining water. Then put the rice back into the pot and add 2 cups of water. If you are making a different amount of rice to the recipe- just remember the ratio is 1 Rice: 1.3 Water.
Let the rice soak in the pot for 5-10 minutes whilst you chop the Daikon and prepare the greens.
Julienne the Daikon into relatively thin strips (about 1/2 cm or 1/4 inch each way, about 2 inches long) so it is easy to mix with the rice when cooked. You need about 3 cups or double the amount of rice. Note here I would put the julienned veg vertically into a measuring cup so it's not a level cup.
If you are including frozen spinach, squeeze out any excess water and spread evenly across the rice. If it's not frozen then you can put in the uncooked greens, just thinly slice so it's easy to mix. Add the julienned Daikon on top and put the pot on the hob. Heat on high and leave uncovered until boiling. Then put a lid on it and turn down the heat to low. Let steam for 25 min. After 25 min let sit on the hob cooking on residual heat for another 10 min or so.
This dish MUST be accompanied by the Korean Super Sauce :) Whilst the rice is steaming, make the Korean Super Sauce. In a small bowl add chopped spring onions, minced onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds and gochugaru (red pepper flakes). If you don't have spring onions- mince a bit of onion. They are a perfect substitute! Give a quick mix and serve with the rice.
*Garlic and Red Pepper Flakes optional.
Once the steaming is done, the Daikon will be a little transparent in colour and bendy - if you take a bite, it should be soft and cooked through. Mix well so the Greens + Daikon + Rice so you get a little bit of everything in each bite!
Scoop the rice into a bowl and serve with the Korean Super Sauce!
To enjoy, spoon some Korean Super Sauce over the rice.
Mix and enjoy!
