Japanese Cookbook日本の台所 · The Japanese Kitchen

Iriko Meshi

いりこ飯

Kagawa's sardine rice — small dried iriko simmered into the pot so the grains drink the Seto Inland Sea. Built on the famed iriko of Ibuki island.

By Japanese Cookbook Kitchen · June 20, 2026

四国 ShikokuEdo era, 1603–1868

Iriko Meshi丼
Prep
15 min
Cook
45 min
Serves
4
Level
Beginner

Kagawa is a dry, wheat-and-salt prefecture that turned its stretch of the Seto Inland Sea into a pantry, and few things come out of that sea more prized than iriko — small sardines boiled and dried into the hard little fish that flavor western Japan. The island of Ibuki, off Kagawa's coast, built much of its livelihood on them; Ibuki iriko became a mark of quality, and the island's identity is still knotted to the drying sheds and fishing grounds that made its name. Iriko meshi is what happens when a region that already flavors its udon with these fish decides to flavor its rice with them too.

The method is the humble genius of takikomi gohan, rice cooked in seasoned liquid. Clean the iriko — pinch off the bitter heads and bellies — soak them into a light dashi, and cook the rice in that broth with the little fish tucked in. Usukuchi soy keeps the grains pale and the flavor briny rather than dark. As the pot steams, the iriko soften until they can be eaten whole, bones and all, folding a quiet, oceanic savor through every grain. It is coastal thrift raised to comfort food — the Inland Sea, cooked into a bowl of rice.

Pinch the heads and bellies off the iriko before they go in. Left whole they turn the rice bitter and faintly muddy; cleaned, they give only clean, deep-sea savor.

板前の一言 · A word from the kitchen

Ingredients材料

Serves 4

  • 2 cupsJapanese short-grain rice (about 300 g) — rinsed until the water runs nearly clear, then drained
  • 20 giriko (dried baby sardines) — the best are Ibuki island iriko from the Seto Inland Sea; heads and guts pinched off
  • 360 mlwater — use the iriko soaking water as part of this for extra depth
  • 1 tbspusukuchi (light) soy sauce
  • 1 tbspsake
  • 1 tspmirin
  • 1 pinchsalt
  • scallion or mitsuba, chopped, to finish

Method作り方

  1. Step 1: Clean and soak the iriko

    Pinch the heads and dark bellies from the iriko — this is what separates a clean, savory pot from a bitter one. Soak the cleaned fish in the measured water 20 minutes; keep the soaking water, it's now light dashi.

  2. Step 2: Rinse and rest the rice

    Rinse the rice until the water runs almost clear, drain it well, and let it sit 15 minutes so it hydrates evenly. Skipping the rest gives you chalky centers.

  3. Step 3: Season the pot

    Combine the rice, the iriko soaking water topped up to 360 ml, the cleaned iriko, and the usukuchi soy, sake, mirin, and salt. Stir once so the seasoning is even, then leave the grains flat.

  4. Step 4: Cook the rice

    Cook in a rice cooker on the plain setting, or on the stove: bring to a boil, drop to low, and steam covered 12 to 13 minutes, then rest off the heat 10 minutes without lifting the lid. The iriko cook right into the grain.

  5. Step 5: Fluff and finish

    Fold the rice gently with a paddle, cutting rather than mashing, so the little fish distribute through the pot. Top with scallion or mitsuba and serve. The iriko soften enough to eat whole, bones and all.

道具 · The tools

Equipment

All kitchen tools →

  • Rice cooker

    炊飯器

    Consistent short-grain rice with zero attention — the one appliance nearly every page here leans on.

    Shop on Amazon →

  • Shamoji (rice paddle)

    しゃもじ

    The flat paddle for folding and cooling seasoned rice with a cutting motion — never a mash.

    Shop on Amazon →

Equipment links are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you. Disclosure.

Questions from the kitchen

What is iriko, exactly?

Iriko is the Kansai and Shikoku word for niboshi — small fish, usually baby sardines or anchovies, boiled and then dried until hard. They are the backbone of western Japanese dashi, and in Kagawa they flavor everything from udon broth to, here, the rice itself.

Why is Ibuki island famous for it?

Ibuki, a small island in Kagawa's stretch of the Seto Inland Sea, built much of its economy on iriko. Its fishing grounds and drying operations made Ibuki iriko a byword for quality, and the island's identity is bound up in the trade to this day. When Kagawa cooks reach for good iriko, this is the name they invoke.

Can I use dashi powder instead?

You can make a passable pot with iriko dashi powder, but you'll miss the little whole fish folded through the rice, which is half the pleasure and most of the character. Use real iriko if you can — cleaned, they're worth the pinch of effort.

次はこちら · Cook next

Keep the burner on

Katsudon丼

Rice & Donburi · 50 min · Intermediate

Katsudonカツ丼

Crisp tonkatsu simmered with onions in sweet dashi-soy and set with barely-cooked egg over rice — the Taishō-era donburi that made yōshoku fully Japanese.

Unadon丼

Rice & Donburi · 25 min · Beginner

Unadonうな丼

Kabayaki eel lacquered in sweet tare over hot rice — an Edo summer ritual with the best marketing legend in Japanese food history. Store-bought eel welcome.

Salted Salmon Onigiri丼

Rice & Donburi · 45 min · Beginner

Salted Salmon Onigiri鮭お握り

Proper rice balls with salted salmon — how to cook and season the rice, shape with wet hands, and keep the nori crisp until the first bite.