Itadaki (Rice-Stuffed Simmered Tofu Pouches)

Soak the dried shiitake in the water until soft through the center.

Squeeze and remove the mushrooms, then strain and reserve all 800 ml of the soaking liquid.

Cut a slit along the short side of each tofu pouch and open it carefully with a finger.

Shave the burdock thinly and rinse it, julienne the carrot, and finely chop the shiitake.

Rinse and drain the rice, then mix it evenly with the burdock, carrot, and shiitake.

Divide among the six pouches, leaving room for expansion, and close each opening with a toothpick.

Pierce about ten small holes over the surface of each pouch with the tip of a chopstick.

Go through the tofu skin gently without crushing the filling.

Lay the kombu and dried sardines on the bottom of a rice cooker.

Arrange the filled pouches upright and close together, with their sealed openings facing up.

Dissolve the soy sauce, sugar, and sake in the shiitake liquid and pour it into the cooker.

Run a standard white-rice cycle until the rice cooks fully inside and the pouches become plump.

When the cycle ends, rest the pouches in the cooker for 10 minutes.

Lift them out carefully, remove the toothpicks, and plate one at a time after the liquid settles.