WB020: Bringing the Oginoya experience home

While in Chino (Japanese: 茅野) during a recent holiday, we stopped by Oginoya (Japanese: 荻野屋) for lunch.

Oginoya is well-known for its kamameshi (Japanese: 釜飯) ekiben (Japanese: 駅弁). The company has been family-owned since starting in 1885. You may read more about the company's history here.

Ekiben means "railway bento", and is great for long train journeys as it's delicious and convenient. Kamameshi is a traditional Japanese dish cooked in an iron pot called a kama. I liken kamameshi to claypot rice dishes found in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

A functional souvenier

Oginoya is known for selling their kamameshi in kamas that I think are made of clay. What I really like is the kama is fully functional and yours to keep after you're done with your meal. You can also return used kamas to Oginoya, which reuses them.

I was quite excited to get my hands on a real Oginoya kama, as most train stations sell Oginoya's ekibens in plastic replicas. I think this is largely because of the weight of each kama and the volume of kamameshi sold these days.

Oginoya at home

The kama is just the right size for one cup (200ml cup) of rice, which feeds two people. Oginoya promotes reusing its kamas at home and shares recipes for rice and other dishes. The kamas don't have an unlimited lifespan, though they are good for multiple rounds of home cooking.

I decided make rice with the kama using my usual rice recipe - one cup rice, one cup water.

First, I rinsed one cup of rice and soaked it with one cup of water for about 15 minutes.

Second, I cooked the soaked rice on low heat (with the lid) for 15 minutes. If boiling water starts leaking, open the lid slightly to release excess steam.

Finally, after 15 minutes I turned off the flame and let the rice steam for another 15 minutes. I was quite relieved when the rice turned out really well.

Buoyed by my success, I made a rice and chicken kamameshi using this YouTube video's one-pot chicken rice recipe. Things turned out pretty well too.

These days, businesses are often quick to make product decisions based on profit & loss considerations, whilst forgetting the brand value that novelty items can bring to the table.

I hope in the years to come, Oginoya continues its tradition of making its signature kama available to customers. This is a business that I would like to continue supporting.

--Ends