Cheng Can Cook: Donabe Clay Pot Rice ★★★

Restaurant Quality Donabe. Delicious & convenient one-pot cooking. First time making it in actual clay pot. (Used rice cooker in the last 2 times)

Ingredients:
1 cup of Japanese rice
3/4 cup Dashi Stock (boil Kombu & Bonito Flakes) (or chicken stock) (can use dashi packet or mix dashi powder with water for quick fix)
Sauce: Soy Sauce, Mirin, Sake – 1.5 Tbsp each
Sakura Ebi (air fry or bake) and/or Hotaru Ika (Firefly Squid) (or other seafood or meat)
Daikon (Japanese Radish) or Yamaimo
Few Shiitake Mushrooms (sliced), 10-12 Snow Peas (Deshelled Edamame Bean Peas, Okra, Bamboo Shoots, Lotus Root, Corn, Carrots, and/or Gobo Root alternatives)
Mitsuba or Mizuna (Japanese Vegetables), cut to 1/4" lengthwise
Marinated Ikura (Salmon Roe) or Mentaiko for garnish (optional)
Shiso Leaf (julienne cut) for garnish (optional)
Sansho Pepper (or leaf) for garnish (optional)

Recipe:
1. Wash & rinse Rice as usual. Soak in water for 15-30 minutes. Drain & place Rice in clay pot.
2. Mix Dashi, Soy Sauce, Mirin & Sake. Add to Rice in Clay Pot. Arrange vegetables & Hotaru Ika on top of rice without mixing. Cover Pot & bring to boil, then lower heat & simmer for 15 minutes until liquid is absorbed. 
4. Air-fry (or bake) Sakura Ebi with a light toss of oil. Set aside for garnish.
5. Mix gently, serve & garnish with Sakura Ebi, Marinated Ikura, and/ or Sansho Pepper.

Related Posts:
Cheng Can Cook: Kamameshi Pot Rice – May 5, 2026
Cheng Can Cook: Kamameshi Pot Rice – April 20, 2026

First time making Kamameshi in actual clay pot

Topped with Hotaru Ika (Firefly Squid)

Topped with Hotaru Ika (Firefly Squid) & Baked Sakura Ebi (Cherry Blossom Shrimp)