Soy Sauce Butter Rice

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

So simple and so good. Hot rice topped with a pat of butter (salted, please), and drizzle of soy sauce. Makes you happy to eat! Here's how I make Soy Sauce Butter Rice at home ^_^

Rice, soy sauce, butter.

I was reminded of this excellent combination when I saw @amy__poon's Instagram post.

She included a quote from Butter by Asako Yuzuki:

“The first thing Rika felt was a strange breeze emanating from the back of her throat. The cold butter first met the roof of her mouth with a chilly sensation, contrasting with the steaming rice in both texture and temperature. The cool butter clashed against her teeth, and she felt its soft texture right down into their roots. Soon enough, just as Kajii had said, the melted butter began to surge through the individual grains of rice. It was a taste that could only be described as golden.”

Add soy sauce and it gets even better.

When they say that social media influences you, no kidding...I strolled straight to the kitchen to assemble this dish. Done in minutes. Hit the spot good ^_^

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need:

Freshly cooked rice, still warm - Ideally Japanese short grain rice. I like to buy rice from our local Japanese markets and The Rice Factory in Kakaako. This dish also works well with Jasmine rice and hapa rice.
Salted butter - Chilled. You can also use unsalted butter but I like it better with salted butter.
Soy sauce - Any brand you like, I like to use my "nice" soy sauce for this dish.

This recipe only has a few ingredients, so use the best quality that you have. It makes a difference, especially for this recipe

Instructions

Let's get cooking!

Note: This recipe assumes you already have fresh cooked rice ready in the rice cooker (typical for many Hawaii families). If not, please go cook rice first ^_^

Scoop rice.
Scoop some rice into a bowl. Use 1-2 cups, depending how hungry you are.

Add butter.
Place a pat of butter on top. I like to use salted butter but if you have unsalted butter at home, feel free to use that.

Add soy sauce.
Drizzle soy sauce on top.

Mix, eat and enjoy.
Use chopsticks to gently mix. Then eat and enjoy! I love how soy sauce makes everything good and comforting, and the butter melts into hot rice, coating each grain ^_^

FAQ / Tips

Other soy sauce + butter combos?

Make soy sauce butter pasta...it's so good. Simple and buttery, I add plenty of garlic to the dish.

Any more simple rice dishes?

I often want a rice topped with something easy for breakfast or snack. In addition to this soy sauce butter rice, I also like adding a lobe of mentaiko (no need to cook it) on top of warm rice. Easy and good! Here's how.

How long does this dish keep?

It only takes a minute or two to assemble, so I wouldn't make this dish until you're ready to eat. It tastes best right when the butter starts melting and mixing with the soy sauce. Leftovers still taste good when reheated in the microwave but never quite the same as just-made ^_^