Use your sharpest knife to prepare the chicken. Place the legs on your cutting board skin-side down and cut off any back parts still attached to the legs. (Freeze trimmings to make chicken broth.) Expose the leg bones by running the tip of the knife along the length of the bones and then cutting the meat off each side of the bone (but not the underside). Take care not to puncture the skin on the cutting board. The idea is to make it easy to remove the bones after steaming while still having the bone prevent the meat from contracting in the steamer. Season each side with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Finely mince the ginger and rub it into the open side of the legs. 

Cook the rice according to the package instructions. Do not use your rice cooker if you also need it to steam the chicken. Meanwhile, fill the steamer with a bit of water and 3 Tbsp of sake and bring to a boil. Place the chicken legs skin side down in the steamer tray and steam for 10-13 mins, until the thickest parts feel firm to the touch. While the chicken legs are steaming, wash and trim the vegetables and slice into even ¾-inch pieces. The smallest grape tomatoes can be left whole, cherry tomatoes should be cut in half. Dry any okra with a towel before slicing with a dry knife on a dry cutting board to minimize the slime factor. Place all the vegetables in a mixing bowl.

Once the chicken legs are cooked, remove them from the steamer. Next comes a bit of multitasking: you'll be cooking the vegetables and crisping the chicken side by side.

Vegetables: Toss gently with ¾ tsp kosher salt in the mixing bowl and let the salt draw some moisture for 2 minutes. Place in a medium pot and heat uncovered for 2 minutes over high heat, gently tossing once or twice. The vegetables should be steaming in their own juices and not browning on the bottom of the pot. If the pot is too dry, add the dashi. Remove the pot from the heat and cover to continue cooking the vegetables gently away from the heat for a couple of minutes. Add the dashi if you haven't already.

Chicken: Heat a small heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully cut the bones from the still hot legs as soon as you can bear to handle them and remove the little piece of cartilage that sticks to the meat by the knee. Pour a Tbsp of canola oil into the hot pan and fry the legs, skin-side down, for about 2 minutes, until the skin has turned crispy and golden brown. Meanwhile, pour any chicken juices left behind on the cutting board into your rice pot. Turn the legs over and fry for another minute or so until the meat is starting to brown just a bit. Remove the chicken from the pan and rest, skin side up. 

Pour the vegetables into a serving bowl and sprinkle with the ponzu sauce. Cut each chicken breast into 6 pieces (a sharp knife and a slicing motion will prevent the skin from being torn off the pieces) and place on top of the vegetables. Serve with rice bowls and chop sticks.