SouthernTurk
Unusual recipes for curious cooks.
https://www.southernturk.versust.com/recipe/black-garlic-and-mushroom-rice-pot
Printed September 3, 2026
Printed September 3, 2026
Solo Servings
Black Garlic and Mushroom Rice Pot
A Japanese-style rice cooker meal where umami-bomb black garlic melts into tender mushrooms and perfectly cooked rice. It's a complete one-pot meal that requires almost no active cooking time.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup short-grain rice
- 3 cloves black garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 cup mixed mushrooms (shiitake, oyster, or cremini), sliced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sake or dry sherry
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3/4 cup dashi or mushroom broth
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- Nori strips for garnish
- Pinch of white pepper
Preparation
Black garlic is one of those ingredients that seems fancy but actually makes solo cooking incredibly easy. Its sweet, molasses-like umami flavor infuses an entire pot of rice with minimal effort.
This is comfort food for the umami-obsessed. The rice absorbs all the mushroom essence, black garlic sweetness, and butter richness while it cooks, creating layers of flavor that make you forget you're eating a simple rice dish.
Preparation
- Rinse rice under cold water until the water runs clear. Drain well.
- If using a rice cooker: Add rice, dashi, soy sauce, sake, and sesame oil to the rice cooker bowl. Stir to combine. Arrange mushrooms and black garlic pieces on top of the rice. Add the butter in the center. Cook on regular rice setting.
- If cooking on stovetop: Combine rice, dashi, soy sauce, sake, and sesame oil in a small pot with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil, then arrange mushrooms, black garlic, and butter on top. Reduce heat to lowest setting, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.
- When done, fluff the rice gently with a fork, mixing in the now-melted black garlic and butter throughout. Season with white pepper.
- Serve in a bowl topped with sliced scallions and nori strips.
