But cooking rice with flavor is its own age-old challenge that has left many of us with bland bowls of disappointment. No matter how much seasoning you toss in, it seems like the flavor vanishes ...

If you season after, the flavors don’t have a chance to cook into the rice. When you season the rice before, the flavors can soak in and the rice will absorb the seasoning like the water.

Editor’s note: The theme of Gohan Lab is to help people make simple, tasty “gohan” (meals). A seasoned rice dish is third up in our series on “oage-san,” a term of endearment used for ...