1hHibimeshi (Food for the Soul)
Hibimeshi Wood-Fired White Pizza & Grilled Chicken
Comfort Food Mains · Medium
Hibimeshi Camembert Rice Pilaf
- Prep
- 20m
- Cook
- 35m
- Total
- 55m
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
Episode 2 of Hibimeshi (Food for the Soul) is the series’ first Western-leaning one-pot: carrot and onion sweated in butter, Arabiki pork wiener coins, and rice that toasts in the fat with a pinch of curry powder before everything simmers in apple juice — the secret liquid one of the club members slips in off-screen. The finished pan matches the screenshot — golden pilaf dotted with peas and corn, one molten Camembert wheel at the center, and a soft-boiled egg whose yolk runs over the cheese.
We build the pot like a Japanese yoshoku pilaf, not paella: rinse koshihikari until the water runs mostly clear, toast the grains until the edges look glassy, then use a 1½ cups apple juice plus 1 cup water ratio for 2 cups rice. Boil once, lid on, lowest steady heat — a donabe on a portable tabletop burner holds that gentle simmer and the Episode 2 serve-at-the-table moment better than thin stainless.
The finish matches the anime beat order: thaw peas and corn under hot water, fold them into hot rice with a last spoon of butter, set one scored Camembert wheel on top, and warm covered on the lowest heat until the rind collapses. Perch soft-boiled halves on the cheese so the yolk runs, and shower flat-leaf parsley. Plan about 20 minutes prep and 35 at the stove.
Ingredients
Recipe ingredients
- 2 cups (320 g)
- 8 oz (225 g)
- Camembert cheeseKey1 whole wheel (8 oz / 250 g)
rind on — score the top in a cross before melting
- Unsweetened apple juiceKey1½ cups (360 ml)
unsweetened — the secret simmering liquid
- Carrot1 medium
finely diced
- Frozen green peas½ cup (70 g)
rinse under hot water to thaw before folding in
- Frozen corn kernels½ cup (75 g)
rinse with peas under hot water to thaw
- Eggs4 large
soft-boiled, halved to serve
Pantry staples
Salt, oil, butter, and other basics you likely already have — scaled with servings above.
- Unsalted butter · 2 tbsp to start pilaf, 1 tbsp to finish3 tbsp
- Yellow onion · finely diced1 medium
- Japanese curry powder · toss with rice at step 5 — balances apple juice sweetness1 tsp
- Water · with apple juice for rice liquid1 cup (240 ml)
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley · finely chopped garnish¼ cup
- Bay leaves · removed before serving1
- Kosher salt · adjust after cheese melts1 tsp
- Black pepper · plus more at the table½ tsp
Shop ingredients & tools
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Best Value
Koshihikari short-grain rice
Sticky, spoonable pilaf grains — rinse until the water runs mostly clear.
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Japanese donabe clay pot (8–10 cup)
Gentle heat retention for one-pot pilaf; serve straight from the pot at the table.
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Portable butane stove (Iwatani tabletop burner)
Episode 2 portable burner — steady low flame for simmer and tableside serving.
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Shop on AmazonInstructions
- 1
Soft-boil the eggs
Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Lower 4 large eggs in gently and simmer 6½ minutes. Transfer to an ice bath at least 5 minutes, then peel and halve lengthwise just before plating.
- 2
Prep vegetables and sausage
Finely dice 1 medium onion and 1 medium carrot. Slice 8 oz (225 g) Japanese pork wieners (Arabiki sausage) into thin coins — substitute smoked pork wieners or kielbasa; avoid fish sausage in this pilaf.
- 3
Rinse the rice
Rinse 2 cups (320 g) koshihikari rice in cold water, swishing and draining until the water runs mostly clear. Drain well in a sieve 10 minutes so the pilaf toasts instead of steaming.
- 4
Sweat aromatics in butter
In a 5–6 qt enameled Dutch oven or donabe over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp unsalted butter. Cook onion and carrot with 1 tsp kosher salt and ½ tsp black pepper until the onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes.
- 5
Brown sausage and toast rice
Add the wiener coins; stir 2 minutes until lightly colored. Add the drained rice and 1 tsp Japanese curry powder; stir 2–3 minutes until the grains look translucent at the edges and smell nutty in the butter.
- 6
Simmer in apple juice
Pour in 1½ cups (360 ml) unsweetened apple juice, 1 cup (240 ml) water, and tuck in 1 bay leaf. Stir once, raise to a full boil, then cover and reduce to the lowest steady heat. Simmer 15–18 minutes without lifting the lid until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
- 7
Fold in peas and melt Camembert
Discard the bay leaf. Rinse ½ cup (70 g) frozen green peas and ½ cup (75 g) frozen corn kernels under hot tap water 30 seconds to thaw; drain well. Fold the vegetables and 1 tbsp unsalted butter into the hot rice. Score the top of 1 whole Camembert wheel (8 oz / 250 g, rind on) in a cross. Nestle the wheel in the center, cover, and cook on the lowest heat 4–5 minutes until the cheese is soft and runny at the center, then remove from heat.
- 8
Garnish and serve from the pot
Set each soft-boiled egg half cut-side down on the Camembert so the yolk runs over the cheese like Episode 2. Scatter ¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley over the top. Serve immediately in the donabe while steam still rises from the portable burner.
Pro tips
Use unsweetened cloudy apple juice — avoid ‘juice cocktail’ with added corn syrup. Arabiki pork wieners are the yoshoku default; substitute smoked pork wieners or kielbasa, not fish sausage, in apple-juice pilaf. Cross-score the Camembert rind before covering. If liquid looks dry before rice is tender, splash 2 tbsp hot water around the edge, not on the cheese. Rest the pot 3 minutes after melting cheese so the pilaf sets slightly before you dig in.
Storage & leftovers
Best eaten straight from the pot. Refrigerate leftovers up to 2 days; reheat covered with a splash of water and skip re-melting Camembert — add fresh cheese only if you want the gooey top again. Soft-boiled eggs do not reheat well; cook fresh eggs for leftovers.
What to serve with
Simple side salad with lemon, or miso soup if you want a teishoku contrast. A light lager or crisp apple cider echoes the apple juice without fighting the cheese.
Equipment
All kitchen equipment guidesFAQ
Episode 2 treats apple juice as the hidden simmering liquid — it adds gentle sweetness and acidity that balance salty pork wieners and Camembert. We use unsweetened juice plus water and a teaspoon of curry powder when toasting the rice so the pilaf stays savory, not dessert-sweet.
