Steamed Rice is an essential part of Japanese cuisine. Before getting to the fancy dishes 😉, let’s refresh our memories so that we will be able to have the most important component of Japanese meals.
Japanese rice is usually short grain rice. It is stickier (but not as sticky as Mochi glutinous rice) than medium and long grain rice often eaten outside of Japanese cuisine. In the US, there is a medium grain rice called Calrose, which is developed as a Japanese rice in California. While Calrose, both white and brown rice, is not true Japanese rice, it is widely used as Japanese rice in the US, and the flavor and texture is very similar to the Japanese kinds. There are of course many kinds of imported rice to buy if Japanese markets are available to you, but Calrose rice is the next best thing. You can find it in almost any local market. You can also buy some kinds of short grain or medium grain rice online. Find our recommendations on rice on Amazon.com (commissions earned).
How to Cook Japanese Rice
Cooking Rice is quite simple if you have a rice cooker. You measure rice and water, then the rest is taken care of by the appliance. If you cook rice often, it may be a good idea to invest in a good rice cooker. If you are using a pot and cook on the stove, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, it is better to use a heavy pot with a heavy lid. Keeping as much steam as possible inside the pot during cooking is important to cook rice properly. Second, soak the rice for a while. A rice cooker usually includes soaking time in its cooking time, but you add the time yourself when cooking on the stove. Third, check the doneness of the rice before finishing cooking. Your low heat may not be the same as our low heat. You may have to adjust the heat and time of cooking to be sure it is actually done.
Cooking brown rice takes a little longer than white rice. There is a harder outer layer on brown rice, so it needs longer soaking and cooking time.
Brown Rice
1 1/2 cup (360 ml) brown rice, short grain
3 cups water (720 ml)
Wash rice until water is not cloudy any more. In a heavy pot add rice and water. Let soak for a couple of hours (1-2 hours).
Cook uncovered at medium high heat until boiling, stir, then cook covered at medium to medium low heat about 30 minutes. Check if it’s done.
Cover and let settled for 10 minutes and fluff rice.
The advantage of cooking on the stove is that you only need a pot to cook rice. Also, when it’s done right, it actually tastes better. The plumped cooked rice is good even when cold. Cooking time is a little shorter too.
What You Can Add to Rice
Many Japanese people add different ingredients when cooking rice. There are mixtures of grains such as oats and millet that are sold at Japanese markets as rice additions. Also it has been a popular trend to add Mochimugi pearl barley to give rice more fiber and nutrients. Replace some of the rice with these additions and use the same amount of water. You may want to keep the replacement to be less than 1/4, and the rice texture won’t be compromised.
What You Eat Rice With
Steamed Rice is usually eaten with meat and vegetable dishes of course, but these little seasonings may be enough sometimes.
Umeboshi, pickled sour plum — Sun-dried green plums pickled with salt and red Shiso leaves. Umeboshi’s salty and sour flavor is great with plain steamed rice. The combination of Rice and Umeboshi is also popular in Bento boxes because Umeboshi has an antibacterial effect.
Furikake — Rice seasonings. A mixture of Katsuobushi bonito flakes, Nori roasted seaweeds, sesame seeds and so on. Just sprinkle over rice. There are many kinds of Furikake at stores, but it can be easily made at home too.
Shio Kombu — Salted shredded sea kelp is just like other items above, giving rice more saltiness. Top on the rice, or make it a filling for Onigiri rice ball.
How to Cook Rice
*Links may contain ad. #CommissionsEarned
Ingredients
White Rice
- 1 1/2 cup short grain rice 360 ml
- 1 2/3 cup water 400 ml
Instructions
- Wash rice until water is not cloudy any more. In a heavy pot add rice and water. Let soak for 30 minutes.
- Cook uncovered at medium high heat until boiling, stir, then cook covered at medium to medium low heat about 15 minutes. Check if it’s done.
- Cover and let settled for 10 minutes and fluff rice.
Video
Cooking tools we used (and recommend! ❤️❤️):
- Staub Enameled Cast Iron Petite French Oven, 1 1/2-Qt., Cranberry
- Zojirushi Pressure Induction Heating Rice Cooker and Warmer (newer model)
- Demeyere Industry Stainless-Steel Saucepan
- Yamazaki Tower Ladle + Lid Stand, White
