Japanese Pumpkin and Rice

Makes 4 servings

2 rice cooker cups of rice
1/2 tsp salt
1 10 oz. Japanese pumpkin (kabocha), cleaned and cubed
4 pieces of bacon, sliced
minced parsley

1. Wash and drain rice well.
2. Boil the bacon to remove excess fat.
3. Add rice and salt to rice cooker and fill with enough water to reach the two-cup measuring line in the rice cooker pot. Add the pumpkin and bacon and mix well. Let rice mixture stand for 20-30 minutes before cooking.
4. Mix thoroughly and make sure the mixture is evenly distributed and under water. Cook the rice.
5. After the rice is finished cooking, let it sit 10-15 minutes, then mix well. Serve into four individual serving bowls and garnish with parsley.

Reference:

Takagi, Junko. The Classic Rice Cookbook. Shufunotomo Company Limited: Hong Kong, 1996. p. 23.