One-Pot Salmon and Mushroom Rice
In Japan, we can one-pot/rice-cooker dishes, Takikomi-Gohan, which is mixed rice!
This one’s a cozy Japanese-inspired comfort meal that basically cooks itself. Perfect for postpartum days when you want something nourishing but low-effort. The salmon adds healthy fats and protein, the mushrooms bring umami, and the thinly sliced ginger gives it that warm, healing touch. Just toss everything in the rice cooker and let it do the work — you’ll end up with a perfectly balanced, feel-good meal that tastes like a hug in a bowl.
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked rice
- 2 pieces salmon
- 4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- A few thin slices of fresh ginger
- Water (as per your rice cooker instructions)
- Green onions for garnish
Seasoning:
- 1 tbsp cooking sake (Japanese cooking wine — helps tenderize and remove fishy smell)
- 2 tbsp mirin (a sweet rice wine used in Japanese cooking — adds gentle sweetness and shine)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- ⅓ tsp powdered Japanese stock (wa-fu dashi / 和風顆粒だし — or substitute with chicken or vegetable broth powder)
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- Rinse the rice and add it to your rice cooker with the usual amount of water.
- Add the cooking sake, mirin, soy sauce, dashi (or broth powder), and salt. Stir lightly.
- Layer the sliced mushrooms and thin ginger on top of the rice.
- Pat the salmon dry with paper towel. Place the salmon fillets on top (skin side down if applicable).
- Cook as usual in your rice cooker.
- Once cooked, gently flake the salmon, remove the skin if desired, mix everything together, and top with chopped green onions.
Why it’s great for postpartum:
Salmon is packed with omega-3s, protein, and choline
— all essential for healing and mood support. Ginger helps with circulation
and digestion, while the mushrooms bring an immunity boost. It’s comforting, nourishing, and super easy to make when your hands (and energy) are full.
