Japanese green peas and rice

Authentic Japanese Green peas and rice recipe with step by step photo instructions and a video. A unique flavoured rice dish with vibrant green coloured peas. Discover how to keep the colour & unique flavour in this post.

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Adding beautiful green peas to simple plain rice elevates the steamed rice to a sophisticated dish. It is very simple and easy to make. I am going to share my green peas and rice recipe, tips to keep the vivid green colour, and no wrinkle on the peas!

green peas and rice served in a small rice bowl

What is Mame Gohan?

Mame (peas) Gohan (rice) literally means Japanese green peas and rice. Adding peas to plain rice not only gives a pop of colour but also adds a unique umami flavour. It’s such a simple twist but makes a huge difference!

What Will You Need?

Rice – Japanese Koshihikari rice. See how to cook rice Japanese way.
Garden Peas – fresh or frozen. I used fresh peas for this post.
Salt
Sake
Kelp

Uncooked Japanese Koshihikari rice, sugar snap peas, salt in a small bowl, sake in a small bowl and a strip of dried kelp

How to Cook Green Peas and Rice?

This is my Japanese recipe that does not lose the pea’s vivid green colour and also doesn’t wrinkle the peas.

removing peas from pods and cooking pods in a saucepan with a pinch of salt

Wash and take the peas out of the pods.
Cook Pods in 500ml water with a pinch of salt in a saucepan for 5 minutes.
Remove the pods, add peas to the saucepan to cook for 2 minutes.
Turn the heat off and let the peas cool down in the cooking water for approximately 30 minutes.
Wash the rice by rinsing the rice under running water. Drain the water and set it aside.
When the peas have cooled down, drain the cooking water (do not discard as this liquid will be used to cook the rice).
Set the rice in the cooker with the liquid from the cooked peas. If the liquid is not enough, add extra water to the rice cooker.
Add salt and sake to the rice cooker and give it stir with a spatula.
Add a piece of dried kelp and cook the rice.
When it is cooked, remove the kelp and add green peas on top of the rice to steam cook together for 10 minutes.
Stir the rice and green peas together and serve to rice bowls.

removing the pods and adding peas into the saucepan. Let the peas cool down in the saucepan

Tips to Make Peas and Rice Perfectly

We want to keep the fresh striking green colour that pops up in the white rice and also without any wrinkle on the peas.

In order to keep the bright green colour, cook everything separately and add the peas after the rice is cooked.
To gain the full flavour of the green peas, use the liquid that the pods and peas were cooked in and also add kelp and sake to cook the rice.
In order to avoid the peas getting wrinkled, let the peas cool down in the water after they are cooked.

Drain the cooking water to separate the peas. Set the rice cooker with rice and drained cooking water, salt, sake and kelp.

What Other Japanese Dishes to Serve with?

Asari no suimono (Japanese clear soup)
Kakitama Jiru (Egg drop soup)
Miso soup
Tamagoyaki
Ginger pork
Yakitori
Teriyaki Chicken These are only a few suggestions. There are more delicious dishes. Explore more in the recipe index.

Removing the kelp and add green peas to the rice cooker to steam cook.

FAQ

Q: The garden peas are not in season. Can I use frozen peas instead?

A: Yes you can. Parboil the frozen peas in boiling water for a minute and let it cool in the cooked water for 30 minutes.

Q: How long does this meal last and how to store it?

A: Eat them within the same day. It does not last long. But you can freeze them. Wrap individual portions with cling wrap and place them in a freezer zip lock bag to freeze. It will last about a month.

Q: I don’t have a rice cooker, how do I cook this without one?

A: You can cook this rice and peas without rice cooker. Cook the rice Japanese way then remove the kelp and add green peas following this rice and peas recipe.

Q: I don’t have sake, what can I substitute with?

A: Sake can be replaced with dry sherry or Chinese wine. See also “Japanese food substitution” post.

Q: What do I do with the left over pods?

A: You can add it to a salad dish, add to Nikujaga, or Miso Soup.

two bowls of green peas and rice with two pairs of chopsticks

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