Cuttlefish Rice

Came across this recipe in a chinese blog, ikumichan. I am not very sure whether it is Japanese but by the look of most of the ingredients used I assumed that's what it is. It is such an elegant and unusual way to serve rice  and yet so easy to prepare. Next time I do this I am going to add some dried mushroom and cilantro for more flavor as I find the filling a little too bland. So the recipe given here is what I would do when I cook this dish again. 

10 whole small to medium cuttlefish, heads and hard spines removed, guts cleaned, towel dried

1 cup short grain rice (Calrose, Japanese or our Bario hill rice) soaked for 3 hours

1 1/2 cup minced pork

3 T finely chopped dried mushroom (soaked and drained)

3 T chopped cilantro

salt and pepper

Combine seasoned meat, rice, mushroom and cilantro together well. Fill each cuttlefish with the rice mixture to about 80% full (as the rice will expand when cooked). Secure the opening with a toothpick. 

Sauce:

2-3 cups water

2-3 T kikoman soy sauce

2 T cooking sake

2 T mirin

1-2 T sugar

Mix all ingredients together and bring to boil. Drop stuffed cuttlefish into the sauce. Bring to the boil again and simmer in medium heat for 40-50 minutes.

Adjust taste and thickness of sauce at the end of cooking.

Serve with some lettuce.