Recipe
Japanese rice: perfect results in a saucepan
The foundation of every Japanese meal. Glossy, slightly sticky short-grain rice, cooked without a rice cooker, in a simple pan with a lid.
Edited by EMA
Original JAPANITIES recipe. Results may vary with ingredients and equipment.
Checked on: · Source : JAPANITIES editorial recipe
Ingredients
- 300 g Japanese rice (short-grain or “sushi rice”, no salt or oil)
- Cold water: about 360 ml after soaking (that is 1 volume of rice to 1.1–1.2 volumes of water)
- A heavy-bottomed pan with a tight-fitting lid
Method
- Rinse the rice in a large bowl of water, rubbing it gently with your fingertips. Pour off the cloudy water and repeat 3–4 times, until the water is almost clear.
- Drain, then soak for 30 minutes in the cooking water. The grain hydrates right through and cooks evenly.
- Bring to the boil over high heat with the lid on, without opening it (about 5 minutes).
- Turn to the lowest heat and cook for 12 minutes, still covered.
- Turn off the heat and rest for 10 minutes without lifting the lid: the steam finishes the cooking.
- Fluff the rice with a wet spatula, cutting and lifting without crushing the grains.
Tips
- Basmati or long-grain rice is not suitable: it does not stick and does not give the right texture. Look for “short-grain rice”, “sushi rice” or “Japanese rice”.
- If the pan is not properly closed, steam escapes and the rice dries out. Put a weight on the lid if needed.
- The first rinse should be quick: rice absorbs the smell of the cloudy water.
- A rice cooker gives the same result without supervision, but it is not essential.
Wine pairing
Choose mainly according to what you serve with it: a lightly oaked white for fish or vegetables. The editors’ suggestion is based on the flavours of the dish and the style of the wine: adapt it to your taste.
- Worth trying: dry white Bordeaux
- At the wine shop, say which style you want: dry, lightly oaked or with supple tannins.