Rice

Although a bowl of pearly white rice is the epitome of elegance and simplicity, seasoned and mixed rice dishes play a significant role in Japanese cuisine, too. Often vegetables are cooked together with rice in a seasoned broth, or added at the last minute to plain rice while it is cooking. Such dishes are commonly garnished with a mixture of roasted black sesame seeds and coarse salt, and served in lieu of white rice at dinnertime. Or plain rice can be topped with different foods such as omelets, seafood or poultry. These dishes are usually served at lunchtime and make good use of many leftovers from other recipes in the book.