Name: Octopus Rice & Vinegared Octopus Salad
Cuisine: 和食
Ingredients: [Octopus Rice]; 2 cups rice (Japanese rice-cooker cups / approx. 300g); Boiled octopus: approx. 150g; Ginger: 20g; Mitsuba (Japanese wild parsley): 3 sprigs; White sesame seeds: a pinch; Water: 340ml; Kombu (dried kelp): 3g; Mirin: 2 tbsp; Dark soy sauce: 1 tbsp; Light soy sauce: 1 tbsp; [Vinegared Octopus Salad]; Boiled octopus: approx. 150g; Cucumber: 1; Wakame seaweed (rehydrated): 40g; Grated ginger: a pinch; Salt: a pinch; Soy sauce: 3 tbsp; Rice vinegar: 100ml; Sugar: 2 tbsp; Dashi stock: 200ml

About "Octopus Rice & Vinegared Octopus Salad"

Two Japanese dishes featuring seasonal octopus. For the octopus rice, the rich flavor of octopus infuses the cooking liquid, finished with aromatic ginger and white sesame seeds. The vinegared octopus salad combines cucumber and wakame seaweed with a mild, dashi-infused sweet vinegar dressing. These easy home recipes use pre-boiled octopus.

Introduction to 【賛否両論】笠原将弘の料理のほそ道 →

Tips for Making "Octopus Rice & Vinegared Octopus Salad"

Seasoning
- Combining dark and light soy sauce in a 1:1 ratio achieves an elegant color and balanced flavor.
Prep
- Separating the thin and thick parts of the octopus tentacles maximizes both flavor and texture.
Heat control
- Cooking in stages (medium for 5 mins, low for 15 mins, steam for 5 mins) ensures perfectly even rice.
Prep
- Soaking the wakame seaweed in ice water keeps its texture wonderfully crisp.
Seasoning
- Adding dashi stock to the sweet vinegar dressing softens the acidity for a milder taste.

Ingredients for "Octopus Rice & Vinegared Octopus Salad"

21 items

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[OctopusRice]
2cups rice (Japanese rice-cooker cups / approx. 300g)
Boiledoctopus: approx. 150g
Ginger:20g
Mitsuba(Japanese wild parsley): 3 sprigs
Whitesesame seeds: a pinch
Water:340ml
Kombu(dried kelp): 3g
Mirin:2 tbsp
Darksoy sauce: 1 tbsp
Lightsoy sauce: 1 tbsp
[VinegaredOctopus Salad]
Boiledoctopus: approx. 150g
Cucumber:1
Wakameseaweed (rehydrated): 40g
Gratedginger: a pinch
Salt:a pinch
Soysauce: 3 tbsp
Ricevinegar: 100ml
Sugar:2 tbsp
Dashistock: 200ml

How to Make "Octopus Rice & Vinegared Octopus Salad"

1
[Octopus Rice]
2
Prepare the rice
Wash 2 cups of rice thoroughly and soak in water for at least 30 minutes to absorb moisture. Drain in a fine-mesh strainer, then place in a clay pot (donabe) or rice cooker.
Soaking for at least 30 minutes ensures even cooking.
3
Make the cooking liquid
In a bowl, combine 340ml water, 3g kombu, and 2 tbsp mirin. Add 1 tbsp dark soy sauce and 1 tbsp light soy sauce, then mix. Using only dark soy sauce makes the color too dark, so combining it with light soy sauce creates an elegant, refined color.
If you don't have light soy sauce, you can substitute it with dark soy sauce.A 1:1 ratio of dark and light soy sauce yields the perfect color.
4
Cut the octopus
Divide 150g of boiled octopus into two parts. Finely mince the thinner parts and soak them in the cooking liquid to infuse the rice with octopus flavor. Slice the thicker parts into bite-sized pieces and set them aside (out of the liquid) to add later.
Finely mince the thin parts to extract maximum flavor.Keep the thick parts separate to add later, preserving their tenderness.Using a zigzag cut helps the flavors cling better (advanced technique).
5
Prepare the ginger and mitsuba
Julienne 20g of ginger and rinse quickly in water to keep the aroma from fading. Cut 3 sprigs of mitsuba into 1cm lengths.
A quick rinse prevents the ginger from losing too much aroma.
6
Cook in the clay pot
Pour the cooking liquid (with the minced octopus) into the clay pot with the rice. Scatter the julienned ginger on top. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and let it steam for 5 minutes.
Heat between medium and high until it reaches a boil.Post-boil: Medium heat for 5 mins -> Low heat for 15 mins -> Steam for 5 mins.A standard rice cooker can be used if you don't have a clay pot.
7
Remove kombu and add the sliced octopus
After steaming, open the lid and remove the kombu. Spread the reserved bite-sized octopus slices over the rice, cover with the lid again, and let it warm in the residual heat for about 2 minutes.
Adding the octopus at the end prevents it from toughening, keeping it plump.Two minutes of residual heat is plenty to warm it through.
8
Finish the dish
Scatter finely sliced kombu (from the pot), white sesame seeds, and mitsuba over the top to complete.
Slicing and returning the cooked kombu is optional.
9
[Vinegared Octopus Salad]
10
Salt-rub the cucumber
Trim both ends of 1 cucumber and slice thinly. Place in a bowl, rub in a pinch of salt, and let sit for about 5 minutes to soften. Squeeze out excess moisture thoroughly.
Squeezing too hard can break the slices; let the salt soften them first.Salt-rubbing removes excess water and concentrates flavor.
11
Prepare the wakame and octopus
Cut 40g of wakame seaweed into bite-sized pieces. Soak the cut wakame in ice water to keep it crisp, then drain just before serving. Cut 150g of octopus into bite-sized pieces.
Soaking wakame in ice water keeps its texture wonderfully crisp.Keep it in ice water until right before serving.
12
Make the sweet vinegar dressing (Sanbaizu)
In a bowl, mix 3 tbsp soy sauce, 100ml rice vinegar, and 2 tbsp sugar. Add 200ml of bonito and kombu dashi stock to mellow the flavor. Toss the squeezed cucumber with a small splash of this dressing to pre-season it.
Adding dashi softens the sharp acidity of the vinegar.Pre-seasoning the cucumber is the secret to deep flavor.
13
Plate and serve
Beautifully arrange the drained wakame, cucumber, and sliced octopus in a bowl. Pour a generous amount of the dressing over them, and top with a pinch of grated ginger.
Freshly grated ginger is highly recommended.

Food Science

Why This Dish Tastes So Good

In octopus rice, the succinic acid and amino acids in the octopus combine with the glutamic acid in the kombu and the umami of the soy sauce, creating an umami synergy. For the vinegared salad, salt-rubbing the cucumber controls moisture, preventing the dressing from diluting while improving texture. Additionally, the acidity of the vinegar, the sweetness of the sugar, and the umami of the dashi harmonize to create a beautifully balanced flavor profile across the basic tastes.

Umami SynergyBalance of Five TastesMoisture Control

Detailed Commentary on "Octopus Rice & Vinegared Octopus Salad"

* Content organized by topics from the video.

Honoring Tako Hachiro with Two Octopus Dishes

The video kicks off with Chef Kasahara's playful greeting, 'I'm a taco (octopus)!' When the staff asks which octopus he is, he passionately shares stories of Tako Hachiro, a famous Showa-era pro boxer turned comedian. Reflecting on how the newspapers wrote 'The octopus returns to the sea' when Hachiro tragically drowned, Kasahara expresses a bit of lingering frustration but declares he will make two octopus dishes to honor his beloved icon. The menu features Octopus Rice, packed with savory umami, and a classic Vinegared Octopus Salad. Using easily accessible boiled octopus tentacles from the supermarket, he shares professional techniques to recreate these dishes effortlessly at home.

Crafting the Perfect Cooking Liquid for the Rice

First up is the prep for the Octopus Rice. For 2 cups of rice, combine water (340ml), kombu (3g), and mirin (2 tbsp) in a bowl. Next comes the soy sauce, where Chef Kasahara insists on a signature blend of dark soy sauce (1 tbsp) and light soy sauce (1 tbsp). Using only dark soy sauce makes the rice look overly dark and salty, so blending in light soy sauce ensures an elegant, golden finish. While you can use only dark soy sauce if you don't have light soy sauce at home, this extra touch makes a world of difference in the final presentation.

Clever Octopus Cutting and Ginger Prep

If you simmer boiled octopus with the rice from the very beginning, it shrinks and becomes tough. To prevent this, Chef Kasahara suggests a two-way cutting strategy. He finely minces the thin ends of the tentacles to soak in the cooking liquid, infusing the rice with deep octopus flavor. Meanwhile, he cuts the thicker parts into bite-sized slices and sets them aside to add later. For those confident in their knife skills, he demonstrates a zigzag cut that helps the dressing cling better. Finally, he juliennes ginger (20g) for a sharp flavor accent, rinsing it quickly in water to preserve its fresh aroma.

How to Cook Octopus Rice in a Clay Pot

Place the rice (2 cups), which has been washed, soaked for 30 minutes, and drained, into a clay pot (donabe). You can easily use a standard rice cooker instead. Pour the cooking liquid containing the minced octopus over the rice, and scatter the julienned ginger on top. Remember to keep the larger octopus slices separate to prevent them from toughening. Place the pot over medium-high heat until it boils. Once boiling, reduce to medium heat for 5 minutes, then drop to low heat for 15 minutes. Finally, turn off the heat and let it steam for 5 minutes. While the rice cooks, we move on to the vinegared salad.

Prepping Classic Salad Ingredients

Next, prepare the classic accompaniments for the Vinegared Octopus Salad: cucumber and wakame seaweed. Trim and thinly slice one cucumber, place it in a bowl, and rub with salt (a pinch). To avoid breaking the delicate slices, let them sit for 5 minutes to soften before squeezing out the water. Cut the wakame (40g) into bite-sized pieces. For salads, a crisp texture is key. Chef Kasahara's signature trick is to soak the cut wakame in ice water until the very moment of serving, which dramatically elevates its crunch.

Dashi-Infused Dressing and Plating

Now, prepare the Sanbaizu (sweet vinegar dressing) that defines the dish. In a bowl, mix soy sauce (3 tbsp), rice vinegar (100ml), and sugar (2 tbsp). Since this mixture alone can taste a bit sharp, Chef Kasahara adds bonito and kombu dashi (200ml) to mellow it out—a signature touch from his restaurant, Sanpi-Ryoron. Toss the squeezed cucumber with a splash of this dressing to pre-season it. Beautifully arrange the drained wakame, cucumber, and sliced octopus in a serving bowl, pour the dressing generously over the top, and garnish with a dollop of grated ginger.

Finishing the Rice with the Late-Addition Octopus

Once the rice is cooked and has steamed for 5 minutes, open the clay pot lid. As the wonderful aroma of ginger wafts out, remove the kombu. Now, spread the reserved bite-sized octopus slices over the rice, cover, and let them warm in the residual heat for about 2 minutes. This 'late-addition strategy' ensures the octopus doesn't overcook, keeping it incredibly tender and plump. After 2 minutes, scatter finely sliced kombu, toasted white sesame seeds, and vibrant mitsuba for color and freshness, completing a gorgeous pot of octopus rice.

Tasting the Ultimate Octopus Feast!

Chef Kasahara digs into the feast with his staff member Ryo and his second daughter Yuri. He jokes, 'People usually think of Takoyaki for an octopus party, but not me—we do Octopus Rice and Salad!' Taking a bite of the rice, they are delighted by the deep octopus flavor and ginger aroma infused into every grain, along with the perfect tenderness of the late-added octopus. He passionately declares his love for the vinegared salad, saying, 'If this is on an izakaya menu, I order it without fail.' The dashi-infused dressing is so delicious you could drink it, and the wakame's crunch is superb. He wraps up the meal with a nostalgic story about his father always buying vinegared octopus.

About 【賛否両論】笠原将弘の料理のほそ道

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