Japanese rice is short grain, higher in starch than long-grain rice, which gives it that signature sticky consistency. It comes in brown varieties, too, and there is also a delicious in-between rice called haiga. When looking at the different types, the high- er quality rice you purchase, the better it will taste. If you are at an Asian or a Japanese market, you’ll see a range of rices to choose from, so try a few different brands to find your favorite.
Basic Japanese Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups white or brown Japanese short-grain rice
- water
Instructions
- Place the rice in a fine-mesh sieve.Gently rinse the rice with cold water and rub the grains together in your palms to loosen the starches, releasing the milky water. Repeat 4 to 6 times until the water runs clear.
- Put the rice in a 4-quart (3.8 L) saucepan or 4- to 6-cup (960 ml to 1.4 L) rice cooker and pat it down into an even layer. Cover the rice with enough water so when the tip of your thumb touches the surface of the rice, the water rises to your knuckle — about 1 inch (2.5 cm). Let the rice soak in the water for about 15 minutes. (This makes for a fluffier final product, especially if your rice is not super fresh and a tad dried out.)
- If using a rice cooker, follow the manufacturer’s instructions (see Tip, below). If using a saucepan, place the pan of rice and water from Step 2 over high heat and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer until just tender, about 30 minutes for white rice and about 40 minutes for brown rice.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the rice steam, covered, for about 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Notes
TIP: You may find my method for cooking rice in this recipe a bit unusual, but I promise it works — every time. We don’t measure the cooking water with a cup, we measure it with our thumb. Regardless of how much rice you use
or whether or not you cook your rice in a saucepan or rice cooker, this trick works!
