Asari Gohan

Wash Japanese short-grain rice thoroughly under cold running water until the water runs clear. Place the washed rice in a bowl, cover with fresh water, and let it soak for 30 minutes. Drain well.

Prepare dashi stock: Soak kombu in 500g of cold water for at least 30 minutes. Gently heat the water with kombu over medium heat until just before boiling. Remove the kombu. Turn off the heat, add katsuobushi, and let it steep for 5 minutes. Strain the dashi through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the katsuobushi. You should have approximately 400g of dashi stock.

Clean asari clams: Soak asari clams in a bowl of lightly salted water for 30 minutes to purge any sand. Rinse the clams thoroughly under cold running water.