How to Cook Perfect Japanese Rice in a Pot

Today, I want to share with you “how to cook perfect Japanese rice in a pot”. Many Japanese families cook rice in a rice cooker. It’s super easy for the perfect Japanese rice. All you have to do is rinse the rice, fill the rice cooker with water up to the marked level, and press the button! It automatically cooks up delicious rice, and thanks to the keep-warm function, you can always have warm rice.

However, some families use earthen pots or regular pots to cook rice. In my opinion, it’s more delicious than using a rice cooker, although it requires some ingenuity in adjusting the heat.

I eat rice almost every day and don’t have a rice cooker since I was fascinated by the taste of rice cooked in a pot. So if you don’t have a rice cooker, don’t worry! You can still cook delicious and perfect Japanese rice.

Tips for measuring Japanese rice

One cup of rice is 1 “GO” (180ml). The measuring cups come with rice cookers are 180ml, so please be careful because it’s not a same size as standard measuring cups. You should fill them with rice and use the handle of spoon or other utensil to get a level cup of rice. If you only have a standard 200ml measuring cup, measure the rice by looking at the 180ml mark directly from the side.

Water needs to be 1.2 times the amount of rice.

It’s very important to fill with the right amount of water for the rice when using a pot to cook. Normally, the water should be 1.2 times the amount of rice (20% more). To be a little more precise, new rice contains more water, so less water is needed than for the prescribed use, while old rice has lost its water content, so slightly more water needs to be added.

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked Japanese short grain rice
• 430 ml water

Instructions

To Measure

1. To measure the rice, use a special measuring cup for rice (180ml). Be careful because it is not a standard measuring cup. Place the measuring cup on a flat surface and fill them with rice and use the handle of spoon, other utensil or your finger to get a level cup of rice. If you only have a standard 200ml measuring cup, measure the rice by looking at the 180ml mark directly from the side.

To Rinse

1. Using a bowl and strainer to wash the rice is convenient (You can also use a pot to rinse.) Place the strainer on top of the bowl, put the rice into it, and add water and quickly run your hand through the rice. Pour out the water and wash again 3-5 times.
2. When the water is no longer turns cloudy, drain the water with the strainer. Put the rice into the pot, add water, and let it soak for 30 minutes.

To Cook

1. Place the lid on the pot and set it over medium heat. You will hear a buzzing sound in the pot after a while. When bubbles spill out of the lid or steam comes out, it’s a sign that it’s boiling.
2. Once it comes to a boil, keep the heat on medium for 2 minutes. Then reduce the heat to low and wait 6 minutes. Don’t remove the lid while the rice is cooking.

To Let Rice Rest

1. Turn off the heat, remove the pot from the stove, and leave it for 10 minutes with the lid on.

To Serve

1. With the wet flat rice paddle (Shamoji), stir the rice by scooping it up from the bottom of the pot with using a cutting motion.

Notes

• Induction can also be used to cook rice, but if you have a gas stove, I highly recommend you to use it.
• Boiling quickly at high heat helps to confine the umami elements of the rice. Heating the pot over medium heat causes intense convection in the pot. This ensures that each grain of rice is heated evenly.