You're welcome DJ! Natto is still alive so it kinda plays by other rules😅

In reply to Marc Matsumoto.

Thanks for the timely safety reminder about fresh natto... it can go from umami-bomb to a moldy-bomb so quickly indeed--like faster than cheese. Even 4 days past expiration, I just noticed now a small tub in my fridge had evolved into a new and unsavory-looking life form. Oh well, great excuse to visit my local Japanese grocer more frequently, like right now. And don't worry, I'm "natto" gonna leave it on my hot dashboard on the way home =).

Thanks Maria! I'm happy to hear you've found my recipes helpful. Although I live in Tokyo now, I spent many years living outside of Japan, so I try and make my Japanese recipes accessible to people who live around the world.

Thank you. I like how you show how to cook the Japanese dishes. And I'm trying to cook them here in Germany.

There isn't a huge difference and the rice cooker method is much more convenient. The only benefit of using this method is that you have more precise control of how well done the salmon gets and you do get a little extra flavor in the salmon from the sake. If you're making mazegohan, no one will be able to tell the difference.

Love the idea of adding natto, but keep in mind that natto has live cultures and they will continue to ferment. Bacillus subtilis var. natto in particular has a tendency to produce ammonia when it ferments which can get a little unpleasant when overdone. Natto might make a better topping for onigiri rather than a filling.

I've been throwing your salted/cured salmon onto rice when it is just finished cooking in the machine, then waiting 10-15 min. The results have been really perfect for maze-gohan (then usually topped with an onsen egg or kaki-style, mixed with natto, etc.) and is so easy I'm doing it almost daily to get our Omega-3/6 buzz. Is there any distinct textual or flavor advantage to your pan-fry+quick steam method for salmon used in ornigiri? I like that dual method a lot for imparting the Maillard effect (without drying), crisping the skin--and it's of course visually more appealing if serving the salmon intact. But for onigiri, if I can simply steam that cured salmon on top of the rice (cooked with 1 tbl sake/cup rice), that would save me some time/energy. Welcome any thoughts on that. Brilliant tutorial. Thanks! P.S. I'm going to throw a little natto inside when I do these tomorrow for umami-bomb effect. Hope it's not overkill =)