“Haha no Hi” means Mother’s Day in Japan, and like a lot of things Japanese, the special day may have started out differently in history, but would eventually align with the rest of world and be celebrated in May. Moms are still honored with flowers like carnations, taken out to dinner, given thoughtful gifts and served breakfast in bed (well, not so much in bed in Japan maybe).
Anyway, I started feeling nostalgic for this particular Japanese dessert called a “Hotcake”, so I thought I’d make one to show you a little twist on a Mom’s Day breakfast. In Japan, hotcakes aren’t really a breakfast food like pancakes are, even though it might look just like a pancake. Hotcakes are literally more like cakes and have that cakey texture. They are sweeter so you need less toppings, and to me it rises a little taller than pancakes.
You don’t have to make these from scratch—you can find hotcake mixes at any Japanese supermarket if you want to try these. They’re a bit old fashioned and have lost a lot of luster compared to the tall, fluffy soufflé type pancakes, or the gastronomically flamboyant, dressed up pancakes that you see today. But I’m not sure they’ll ever go extinct. Hotcakes were a staple at Japanese coffee shops, and as you know–what goes around always comes back around.
How about something healthier for Mom?
Buddha Bowl
I guess at one time when these became trendy, someone decided that the overstuffed mound of nutritious ingredients was like a Buddha’s belly and decided to call it that. Or they thought the simpleness and purity of the ingredients was so Zen. Whatever!! Catchy phrases tend to spread quickly, and they become what everyone can latch on to. Basically it’s what they serve at all those salad places that pile a bunch of ingredients into a paper bowl (you know the ones).
My Buddha bowl is made with GABA rice, which is a germinated brown rice that has a better texture and flavor than regular brown rice. It’s popular in Japan and Korea because it’s easier to eat for children and is known to have a higher nutritional value. Although it takes a little longer to cook GABA rice, Zojirushi makes several rice cookers with this setting to make it easier.
A while back I posted a review of my Umami® Micom Rice Cooker and tried every menu setting on it just for fun to see how it would handle all the different types of rice. It did really well by the way, which is where this Buddha Bowl came from. But wait, there’s more!
Brown Rice
Here’s the ultimate “balanced meal” for your Mom living her best life—Spam® and Portuguese sausage served with brown rice so she can feel less guilty. LOL. Seriously though, the takeaway here is that the brown rice comes out very tender and tasty when cooked properly, and you really won’t miss not having white rice all the time.
Sushi Rice
Yes, there’s a setting for making perfect sushi rice, which should be a real benefit if you want to have a sushi party at home. To test it I made a local Hawaiian favorite called the Sushi Bake. It’s basically a deconstructed California Roll baked in the oven with Japanese mayo and sriracha sauce. You can guess how this is going to taste, right? The best thing about making sushi rice in your cooker is that the rice isn’t soggy or mushy when it’s done right. With any kind of sushi, rice is its heart and soul; let’s not forget that.
Sushi Bakes were a real trend back in the day, but to me good tasting food will never go out of style. And there’s something really homey about it that you don’t want to see in a restaurant, you know what I mean? When you shop for the masago (fish roe) that helps to visually finish off this dish, try to find small portions of it that you can get for less than $5; no need to buy the larger containers that can cost as much as $25.
I hope everyone has a fantastic Mother’s Day!
Products used in this post: Umami® Micom Rice Cooker & Warmer NL-GAC10/18, Micom Toaster Oven ET-ZLC30, Gourmet Sizzler® Electric Griddle EA-DCC10
Please note that these recipes were not tested by Zojirushi America.
All images by Bert Tanimoto ©2025
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