Shio Kombu Tuna Rice

Shio Kombu Tuna Rice is a crowd pleaser! One pot meals are great for busy weekdays. What is even better than that?

A one pot meal that's made in the rice cooker! Yes, you can make entire meals in the rice cooker.

This one is simple and tasty. You know how much we love tuna rice, right?

This is like a grown up version, seasoned with shio kombu. It's super easy to prepare.

You can double the recipe for bigger groups. What Is Shio Kombu?

Shio Kombu is composed of two words: Shio = Salt.

Kombu = Kelp. Shio Kombu = thin sheets of kelp boiled in shoyu / soy sauce, mirin, and sugar.

The sheets of kelp are then dried and cut into thin strips. It tastes sweet and salty, and super umami.

If you taste shio kombu straight from the bag (which you should definitely try), it is a little bit chewy and very packed with flavor. You can use shio kombu in endless ways. Shio kombu doesn't need to be cooked, but mixing it with other ingredients helps to soften and mellow it.

Mix with rice to make Shio Kombu Rice. Use it to make onigiri.

Make Shio Kombu Roasted Sweet Potato. Add a sprinkle of shio kombu to stir fry or noodle dishes.

Mix it with raw fish for Shio Kombu Sashimi...this is great with ahi / tuna and salmon. Toss with tofu and canned tuna to make an excellent side dish.

Use shio kombu when you want an extra flavor boost. Many Japanese markets sell a variety of shio kombu. There's the regular version and a low sodium version (the green bag pictured above).

There is even a super finely chopped version of shio kombu.

Here's what you'll need:

• Uncooked rice
• Soy sauce
• Sake - Optional
• Shio kombu
• Tuna in olive oil
• Green onions

Instructions

Let's get cooking: Rinse the rice several times in water until the water runs almost clear.

I like to rinse the rice directly in the rice cooker pot - one less thing to wash! Fill the rice cooker pot with water up to the “2 cup” line.

Add soy sauce and sake (optional) to the rice cooker pot. No need to stir or mix.

Cook the rice as you normally would in the rice cooker. There should be an automatic button setting on the rice cooker.

After the rice is done cooking, let sit for 10 minutes. Open and drain the canned tuna. Add the tuna to the cooked rice.

Then add the shio kombu and green onions to the rice. Use a rice paddle to gently mix everything together.

Serve hot. Eat and enjoy!

Top Tip

Trying to keep your sodium levels down? Lightly rinse the shio kombu in water right before you add it to the rice.

The final dish won't be as well seasoned but it will still be flavorful and delicious. FAQ Looking for other dishes you can make in the rice cooker?

This is the place. I love one pot / rice cooker dishes:

• Shio Kombu Rice - a simple version of this dish, just rice and shio kombu.
• Ume Shiso Rice
• Corn Rice
• Edamame Rice
• Edamame and Hijiki Rice
• Scallops and Rice - a super luxe (thanks to the butter) favorite ^_^
• Quinoa Rice
• Mentaiko Rice

Is the sake necessary? It's nice, but optional.

You can skip the sake, or use a pinch / a teaspoon of chicken bouillon in place of the sake! How long do leftovers keep?

This dish is best the day of, but leftovers keep for 1-2 days. To reheat:

• Steam (preferred method).
• Microwave in 30 second increments.

What is a "rice cup"

Many of my recipes that call for rice, use the measurements in terms of "rice cups." A "rice cup" is the plastic cup that comes with your rice cooker.

It's used to measure scoops of rice. If you don't have a rice cup available, you can use a regular cup. Just make sure to keep this measurement in mind: 1 rice cup = ¾ regular cup.