Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Japanese Soy Sauce Butter Rice
Butter melting into hot rice has an appeal all its own. A little soy sauce makes each spoonful savory, with the soft, slightly sticky grains carrying both flavors. This is a bowl that lets a very small handful of familiar ingredients be completely satisfying.
- Prep
- 1 min
- Total
- 1 min
- Original yield
- Serves 1
- Ingredients
- 3 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Cuisine
- Japanese · Asian
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
- Dish type
- Rice dishes
A few quick notes
1. Start with steaming rice
Heat the cooked rice until steaming hot before adding butter.
2. Let the butter soften
Nestle the butter on the hot rice and give it a moment to soften before stirring.
3. Mix right through
Drizzle over the soy sauce and stir until both butter and sauce are evenly distributed.
Get to know the ingredients
Cooked short-grain rice
Use cooked Japanese short-grain rice, as specified for this bowl.
Butter on warm grains
The hot rice softens the butter; burying it in the rice is an option in the directions.
Soy sauce
Add the soy sauce after the butter has had its brief softening pause.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 1. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 3 steps completeMake room for Japanese Soy Sauce Butter Rice
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Stir until evenly coated
Work the softened butter and soy sauce through the rice so neither stays in one spot.
A little more help as you go
Rice that's already cooked
The recipe starts with cooked rice; it doesn't cook dry grains in the butter.
Warm it in the microwave
The directions allow microwaving rice that isn't freshly cooked so it's hot enough for the butter.
A few questions you might have
Does this start with uncooked rice?
No, use cooked Japanese short-grain rice and make sure it's steaming hot.
Can I microwave the rice first?
Yes, the directions suggest that when the rice isn't freshly cooked.
Do I melt the butter in a separate pan?
Place it directly on the steaming rice and let it soften there.
Can I bury the butter?
Yes, the directions allow burying it in the hot rice to help it soften.
When does the soy sauce go in?
Drizzle it over after the butter softens, then stir both evenly through the rice.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: norecipes.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
