Japanese rice is characterized by a short, oval shape and a sticky sweet taste. It’s tasty even when cooled. I’ll share how to cook rice with a cast-iron pot (ex. Le Creuset and Staub) The pot is suitable for cooking rice because of its high heat retention.
If you cook rice with a rice cooker, please follow the instructions of your rice cooker.

Level: Easy Yield:6-8 servings
Prep time:40 minutes Cook time:30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cup (480 ml, 14.1 oz, 400 g) white short-grain Japanese rice
• 530 ml filtered water (It’s 1.1 times the amount of rice. If you like, adjust the amount of water)
• Extra filtered water for washing rice
  

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

• A medium cast-iron pot (ex. Le Creuset and Staub)
  

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash rice: The tip is to do gently and quickly. It’s desirable to wash rice with filtered water because rice begins to absorb water when being washed.
   
   In the beginning, put rice in a medium bowl, pour enough water to cover the rice, stir 3 times with a hand, then drain.
   
   Next, stir 20 times with a hand, pour enough water to cover the rice, then drain. Repeat this two more times.
   
2. Soak rice in water: Pour enough water to cover the rice and soak for 30 minutes on a hot day or 60 minutes on a cold day. (At this time, there is no problem if the water isn’t completely transparent. Because starch may be coming out a little .)
   
3. Drain: Drain the water with colander less than for 5 minutes.
   
4. Boil without a lid: Put the rice and 530 ml water in a pot. Heat the pot over medium heat without a lid until boiling.
   
5. Keep boiling with a lid: Stir with a rice paddle once and make a flattened. Cover with a lid and reduce heat to low. Then cook for 10 minutes.
   
6. Steam: Remove from a stove with the lid on and let stand for 10 minutes. (Please don’t open the lid.)
   
7. Turn : Open the lid and turn the rice upside down from the bottom with a rice paddle.
   

HOW TO STORE

I recommend frozen storage to maintain the taste. Place the hot rice in a container or plastic wrap. Wrap gently and store in the freezer after steam doesn’t come out. When eating, heat in the microwave.

About uncooked rice, it is desirable to put the rice before cooking in a plastic bag (ex.zip lock) and store it in a refrigerator to prevent deterioration and smell.

TIPS

• About washing rice:
  I recommend using filtered water when washing rice because rice absorbs water from the beginning of washing especially the first time. In addition, it is important to wash rice quickly to prevent rice from absorbing rice bran and dirt.
  Washing rice until the water is completely clear is too much. The turbidity after washing rice includes starch from rice, and washing too much will diminish the taste of trice.
  Wash rice gently. Washing with strong power cracks the rice surface, make it easier to absorb water than necessary and result in a mushy texture.
• About soaking rice:
  The reason for soaking rice in water is to spread the water into rice before cooking. However, it is recommended to keep it up to 2 hours even in winter, as over-the -top could cause a mushy texture.
• About the amount of water:
  Adjust the amount of water to be added to the pot after the second time to suit your taste.

WHAT IS…?

• About “Steamed rice, Gohan”:
  Recently we have more opportunities to eat wheat such as bread and noodles in Japan than before, but I think a lot of people still eat steamed rice at dinner. Most people in Japan have a rice cooker, but there are people cooking rice with an earthen pot or a cast-iron pot. I currently cook rice with a cast-iron pot (Staub). The reason is that my husband likes the slightly scorched part of the bottom in a pot. It is called “Okoge” in Japanese and many people in Japan may like it. Since rice cookers cannot do this, what to make it is one of the attractions of cooking rice with a pot.
  
  The rice harvest season is in autumn. New rice is so fresh that it has the best flavor, stickiness, and aroma. For delicious rice, it is one of the best ways to make a rice ball with a pinch of salt. Give it a try!