What is the Japanese mixed rice dish cooked with vegetables and seasonings?

The Japanese mixed rice dish cooked with vegetables and seasonings is takikomi gohan.

Takikomi gohan is prepared by cooking rice together with dashi, soy sauce, and ingredients such as mushrooms, root vegetables, chicken, seafood, or konnyaku. Because the ingredients cook in the same pot as the raw rice, their flavors permeate the grains rather than being added only after cooking.

The dish changes with the seasons. Matsutake mushrooms, chestnuts, bamboo shoots, oysters, salmon, and other regional ingredients may each form the centerpiece of a variation. It is especially associated with autumn, when mushrooms and many root vegetables are harvested in Japan.

The key distinction is between takikomi gohan and maze gohan. In takikomi gohan, the seasoned ingredients and cooking liquid go into the pot before the rice is cooked. In maze gohan, rice is cooked separately and mixed with prepared ingredients afterward. Sekihan is different again: it is glutinous rice cooked with azuki beans, commonly served for celebrations. Takikomi gohan is generally savory and can serve as a complete rice-centered meal.