Quicker and easier than the preceding recipe, this one usually relies on mushrooms and meat for flavor. Though it’s a cross-cultural technique and not at all traditional, I think adding a small handful of soaked dried porcini to the fresh mushrooms as they cook is a big improvement. You can buy toasted sesame seeds in Korean (and usually Japanese) markets, but toasting them yourself takes less than 5 minutes.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 to 6 servings

　　2 cups short-grain rice

　　2 tablespoons corn, grapeseed, or other neutral oil

　　1 large onion, chopped

　　1/2 pound button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

　　1/2 pound ground beef or pork

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　2 tablespoons soy sauce

　　1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

　　2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds (page 596)

　　2 or 3 scallions, trimmed and chopped, for garnish

　　

Step 1

Soak the rice in water to cover while you prepare the other ingredients. Put the oil in a large skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. A minute later, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and meat and cook, stirring to break up any clumps of meat, until the mushrooms are softened and the meat browned, about 10 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Drain the rice and add it to the mixture, stirring to combine all the ingredients and adding some salt and pepper. Add water to cover by about 1/2 inch (more if you’re using a narrow rather than broad pan) and cook, adjusting the heat so the mixture bubbles steadily. About 15 minutes later, the water should be mostly evaporated. Taste the rice; if it is not nearly done, add a bit more water and continue to cook.

　　

Step 3

When the rice is done, stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds, garnish with scallions, and serve or cover and hold over the lowest possible heat for up to 30 minutes.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.