Snack-Time Pilaf
おやつピラフ
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
In Japanese preschools, the afternoon snack (oyatsu) is often a small savory bite rather than something sweet, because young children can only eat a little at each meal and need a top-up between lunch and dinner. This pilaf is one of those snacks: rice is cooked with a little consommé, then folded together with sautéed ground pork, carrot, onion and sweet corn. The seasoning is mild and the vegetables are chopped small, so even little ones manage it easily on a spoon, and the pops of corn make it an easy sell with picky eaters.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 52.5 griceJapanese short-grain white rice (japonica), which cooks up soft and slightly sticky. The amount listed is for uncooked rice. Substitute: Sushi rice, or another short-grain or medium-grain rice such as Calrose.
- 10.5 gcarrot
- 21 gonion
- 15 gwhole kernel corn (canned or frozen)
- 30 gground pork
Seasonings
- 3 gvegetable oil
- 0.5 gconsommé bouillon (granules or cube)Japanese-style Western soup stock powder or cubes, similar to chicken or vegetable bouillon. Substitute: Chicken or vegetable bouillon granules or a bouillon cube.
- 0.4 gsalt
- to tastepepper
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- rice (米)
- Japanese short-grain white rice (japonica), which cooks up soft and slightly sticky. The amount listed is for uncooked rice. Substitute: Sushi rice, or another short-grain or medium-grain rice such as Calrose.
- consommé bouillon (granules or cube) (コンソメ)
- Japanese-style Western soup stock powder or cubes, similar to chicken or vegetable bouillon. Substitute: Chicken or vegetable bouillon granules or a bouillon cube.
Directions
- 1
Soak the rice in water for at least 30 minutes. Add the consommé and one-third of the salt and pepper, then cook the rice.
- 2
Cut the carrot and onion into a coarse dice.
- 3
Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the carrot and onion and sauté well. Add the ground pork and corn and sauté, then add the remaining seasonings and stir-fry briefly.
- 4
Stir the cooked rice into the stir-fried pork and vegetables.
The salt in the seasonings keeps the rice from absorbing water properly, so always soak the rice first and stir in the seasonings just before you start cooking it.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 294 kcal | 588 kcal | 294 kcal |
| Protein | 8.9 g | 17.7 g | 8.9 g |
| Fat | 8.7 g | 17.4 g | 8.7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 46.5 g | 93 g | 46.5 g |
| Fiber | 1.4 g | 2.7 g | 1.4 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.8 g | 1.5 g | 0.8 g |
| Calcium | 10.5 mg | 21 mg | 10.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.8 mg | 1.5 mg | 0.8 mg |
| Potassium | 217.5 mg | 435 mg | 217.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 294 kcal | 8.9 g | 8.7 g | 46.5 g | 1.4 g | 0.8 g | 10.5 mg | 0.8 mg | 217.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 588 kcal | 17.7 g | 17.4 g | 93 g | 2.7 g | 1.5 g | 21 mg | 1.5 mg | 435 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
