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There is so much I want to write about rice. For now, I will just share my best advice on how to make Japanese rice. I do not think there are right or wrong ways or vessels. I have learned about rice from sake makers, farmers, rice polishers, and my own trial and error. I am always trying to make rice better, to bring out the most delicious flavor and perfect texture. I have not upgraded from a rice cooker, but I have thought about it. So here we go with making rice. 

The most important step in making rice is washing. Rice is polished, not milled, and the remaining “nuka,” rice powder, makes the grains stick together. When you cook risotto, you add rice to butter or oil and start cooking. The rice powder contributes to the creamy consistency. With Japanese rice, you are trying to achieve the separation of grains, so you wash away the powder that makes rice sticky.

You should also wash rice in cold water. This will slow the absorption. Wash the rice until the water runs clear. I have heard that you should wash rice in a pot instead of a strainer because a strainer can crack the grains. People also use cheese clothes for straining. I use a mesh strainer, but I barely shake it. I just wash the rice until the water goes from milky to clear.

The process of washing rice is also the process of soaking it. After I wash rice in a strainer, I put it in my rice cooker bowl and wash it more, straining off water and refilling as I go. I look to see if some of the grains are partly clear. If there are clear parts and white starch parts, then I stop washing. Some sushi chefs soak rice overnight. There are many different and, arguably, better vessels for cooking rice, but a rice cooker is most practical for me and achieves delicious results.

Washing also gets rid of fats and proteins, which are on the outside of the grain. That’s the powder. By washing away the powder, you are isolating more starch, which translates into more sweetness.

The next key step is measuring. Because you have achieved some absorption already, you can use less water. I target a ratio of 1:1 water to rice. But, even if I have poured off the water before measuring, I leave some, so the final ratio is more than 1:1. Depending on the rice variety and harvest, rice absorbs water more quickly. The rice we import, Koshishikari from Kumamoto, is a bit hard and requires more washing and more water. If I had to be exact, I would suggest closer to 1.25:1 for our rice. It will still be al dente but cooked through.

If you make more rice, you should increase the ratio of water to rice. If you were cooking 3 cups or more of Koshihikari, I would use a generous 1.5 water to 1.0 raw rice. I would also check it at the 2/3rds point in cooking to see if I needed to fluff it up and add more water.

If you are cooking rice in a pot on the stove, use a heavy, coated pot like a Le Creuset. You don’t need to keep it on medium and then turn it down. I just keep it on the lowest level. I would recommend 25 minutes but check it at 15.

What if you f*** up your rice? What if it’s too hard and has a layer of uncooked rice on top? Without mixing it up, drizzle spoonfuls of water over the surface of the rice, and cover it again. You can leave the heat off, too. The naturally rising heat and the coat of water should soften up that hard layer! Then fluff it all up. Repeat, if needed. If your rice is too mushy, then let air out and fluff it. This will help dry it out without losing much heat.

The end result you are aiming for is rice that is cooked through but still bouncy. You also want separation of the grains. You want delicious flavor that you can achieve by adjusting all of these steps. Lastly, enjoy Japanese rice on its own, in a bowl, very simply. Next, try it in a dish that highlights rice like sushi, onigiri, donburi, and even curry rice.

One last fun fact. Genmai, with a hard g, which we think of as “brown rice” is unpolished rice. It is delicious, too, and has made a slight comeback in Japan. It is also what is toasted as an ingredient in Genmaicha, green tea with toasted rice.

I hope this helps you make delicious rice.

Thank you,
Henry