Buy, rinse, soak, and cook Japanese rice. Use a pot, a rice cooker, or a microwave.
What You'll Learn
You will learn the rice to buy. You will learn to rinse and soak it. You will learn three ways to cook it.
Buy the right rice
Japanese rice is short-grain and sticky. Calrose, a medium grain, is a good swap. Long-grain rice stays loose and dry, so skip it.
Rinse, then soak
Rinse the rice 3 or 4 times. Stop when the water is mostly clear. Then soak it for 30 minutes. In winter, soak for 1 hour.
How much water
Use about 1.2 times the rice by volume. For sushi rice, use a little less. The vinegar adds liquid later.
Three ways to cook it
- Rice cooker: fill to the line for your cups. Press start.
- Pot: boil on medium-high. Then cook on the lowest heat for 12 minutes.
- Microwave, 1 cup: cover and heat at 600W for 5 minutes. Then heat at 200W for 12 minutes.
With any method, rest the rice 10 minutes with the lid on. The top grains finish in the steam.
Do not lift the lid while the pot cooks. The steam is doing half the work.
Keep leftovers soft
Rice turns hard fastest at fridge cold, near 4C. Wrap warm portions in film and freeze them. Microwave them straight from frozen.
What to make with it
- Onigiri: shape warm rice with three soft presses.
- Sushi rice: fold in vinegar while the rice is hot.
- Rice bowls: gyudon, oyakodon, and curry rice.
Questions
Do I have to rinse Japanese rice?
Yes, for most rice. Musenmai is sold pre-rinsed, so you can skip it.
Can I cook rice without a rice cooker?
Yes. A heavy pot with a lid works well. A microwave works for 1 cup.
Why is my rice hard in the center?
It was not soaked long enough. Soak it 30 minutes, or 1 hour in winter.
How do I reheat rice from the fridge?
Sprinkle on a little water. Cover and microwave until it steams.
Can I use jasmine or basmati rice?
They are too loose for onigiri and sushi. Use short-grain or Calrose rice instead.
The Japanese word gohan means cooked rice. It also means a meal.
Freeze rice in flat squares. They thaw evenly in the microwave.
