While pre-shucked oysters are convenient, bivalves tend to lose their freshness much faster than other seafood, which is why I’d never eat a pre-shucked oyster raw. Still, oysters can be just as tasty when lightly cooked, and can make an incredibly flavorful broth, which is why I decided to make this Kaki Meshi (牡蠣飯) With crunchy bamboo shoots, savory abura-age, and creamy morsels of oyster hidden amongst mouth-wateringly savory grains of rice, this Japanese classic is a one-bowl meal that tastes even better than it looks, bursting with umami in every bite. Abura-age (pronounced ah-boo-rah-ah-geh), which literally means “fried in oil” is a tofu product that’s been thinly sliced and deep fried. It has a meat-like texture that absorbs flavors like a sponge, making it a bit like oyster-flavored ham, when mixed in with the rice. Although some people like to cook the oysters together with the rice, I prefer cooking them separately and mixing them together at the end. To get oyster flavor into the rice, I quickly blanch the oysters in boiling water to make a stock. Then I cook them with soy sauce sake and sugar. The rice gets cooked with the stock and extra liquid from the seasoned oysters, ensuring the rice is full-flavored, while preventing the oysters from becoming overcooked.
📖 Recipe
