Rice is the most important food in Japan - as an example, it is called "gohan" which also means "meal." Breakfast is "Asa (morning)-gohan. Rice appears in almost every meal in Japan.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: about 1-1 1/2 hour
Here's How:
- Put the rice in a bowl and wash it with cold water. Repeat washing until the water becomes clear. It's very important to wash rice before cooking. Then, drain the rice in a colander and set aside.
- Place the rice in a pan or rice cooker and add water. The amount of water used is just a little more than the amount of rice. For example, use 1 1/5 cup of water for 1 cup of rice. Let the rice soak in the water at least 30 min. One hour is ideal.
- If you are cooking rice in a pan, it requires careful attention to adjust the heat. Cover the pan with a lid and bring to a boil with hight heat. Turn the heat down very low and cook about 15-20 min. until the water is almost gone. Be careful not to burn the rice.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let it steam for 10-15 min before serving. It's important not to remove the lid right away, instead, let the rice steam.
- If you are using an electric rice cooker, which most of Japanese people use, you don't have to worry about adjusting the heat (of course), but please remember to let the cooked rice steam before you open the lid.
Tips:
- Japanese rice is short grained and gets sticky when it is cooked. The long grained American rice isn't proper for Japanese cooking, because it is drier and doesn't stick together well.
- One serving size of rice is usually about 1/2 cup.
What You Need:
- Japanese rice
- Deep pan / rice cooker
