jadesfood
Do you think cooking Japanese rice is complicated and needs a rice cooker to cook it perfectly? If you do, I have to say you are wrong. Cooking rice might be intimidating for some people, especially Japanese rice. In fact, most Japanese people don’t cook rice on the stove because over 90% of Japanese households have electric rice cookers. However, I don’t have one because rice cooked on the stove is much more delicious and cooking rice in a pot is so much easier than you thought it would be and much faster than a rice cooker!
Ingredients You Will Need
Japanese rice – Any type of Japanese rice is perfect for this recipe but you can’t use brown rice because it has hard skin and has to be cooked with a different cooking technique.
water – The best kind of water for cooking rice is soft water, it makes your rice moist and fluffy whereas hard water makes the rice a bit drier because the rich minerals prevent the rice from fully absorbing the water. Soak your rice for at least 2 hours if you only have hard water.
Step By Step Guide
Rinsing & Soaking
1 First, rinse your rice in a pot or a large bowl, then drain well using a sieve. Repeat this rinse and drain process at least three times. Put the rinsed rice in a large bowl or a pot, and fill it with enough water to soak the rice. Leave the rice for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Cooking
1 After soaking, drain the water thoroughly with a colander, and put it in a pot with 500 ml of water. Put the lid on and start cooking on medium-high heat.
2 Once the water boils vigorously, turn the heat down to low and continue cooking for about 12-15 minutes or until there is no water on top of the rice and it looks still.
Resting & Serving
1 When your rice absorbs all the liquid and is cooked through, put the lid on again and let it sit for about 15-20 minutes to steam the rice.
2 After 15-20 minutes of waiting, fluff the cooked rice with a spatula or a wooden spoon (if you use a wooden spoon, soak it in water for a couple of minutes to prevent the rice from sticking to the spoon).
Tips for Cooking Perfect Japanese Rice in a Pot
Do not rinse your rice too much – It was said that rice should be washed many times as rice in olden days wasn’t refined enough but nowadays, you don’t have to wash rice that much. Too much rinsing makes your rice bland instead.
Soak your rice in water long enough – To cook your rice thoroughly and avoid eating chalky rice in the middle, soak the rice at least 1.5 hours in the winter and 30 minutes in the summer.
Do not turn the heat down soon – It is important to let the rice boil vigorously for 1-2 minutes because if the rice hasn’t boiled enough, you’ll have soggy rice with chalky centre.
Q & A
Can I store the cooked rice in the fridge?
The cooked rice can’t be chilled in the fridge since it becomes dry and even the microwave can’t make it soft again.
How can I store my cooked rice?
What I always do with my rice is put the rice into a freezer bag or an airtight container and freeze it.
Can I freeze cooked rice?
Cooked rice can be frozen perfectly for up to 1 month. Just microwave the frozen rice for about 2-3 minutes at 600w. Do not thaw the rice at room temperature before microwaving it.
More Rice Recipes
Vegan Mapo Eggplant (Mabo Nasu) Rice Bowl
Eggplant Kabayaki Rice Bowl (Vegan)
Vegan Crispy Fried Tofu Rice Bowl with Korean Spicy Sauce (Yangnyeom)
How to Cook Japanese Rice In a Pot
Equipment
- 1 Pot with a lid
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Spatula or Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- 300 g Japanese rice
- 500 ml water
Instructions
Rinsing & Soaking
- First, rinse your rice in a pot or a large bowl, then drain well using a sieve. Repeat this rinse and drain process at least three times. Put the rinsed rice in a large bowl or a pot, and fill it with enough water to soak the rice. Leave the rice for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Cooking
- After soaking, drain the water thoroughly with a colander, and put it in a pot with 500 ml of water. Put the lid on and start cooking on medium-high heat.
- Once the water boils vigorously, turn the heat down to low and continue cooking for about 12-15 minutes or until there is no water on top of the rice and it looks still.
Resting & Serving
- When your rice absorbs all the liquid and is cooked through, put the lid on again and let it sit for about 15-20 minutes to steam the rice.
- After 15-20 minutes of waiting, fluff the cooked rice with a spatula or a wooden spoon (if you use a wooden spoon, soak it in water for a couple of minutes to prevent the rice from sticking to the spoon).
Notes
- Can I store the cooked rice in the fridge? The cooked rice can’t be chilled in the fridge since it becomes dry and even the microwave can’t make it soft again.
- How can I store my cooked rice? What I always do with my rice is put the rice into a freezer bag or an airtight container and freeze it.
- Can I freeze cooked rice? Cooked rice can be frozen perfectly for up to 1 month. Just microwave the frozen rice for about 2-3 minutes at 600w. Do not thaw the rice at room temperature before microwaving it.
- What kind of rice is good for this recipe? Any type of Japanese rice is perfect for this recipe but you can’t use brown rice because it has hard skin and has to be cooked with a different cooking technique.
