How to Cook the Perfect Japanese Rice Every Time

Perfectly cooked Japanese rice should be light, fluffy, and tender, with a sweet aroma. With the right rice and technique, this staple can be elevated to new heights. Here are some tips so that you can cook the perfect rice every time.

1. Choose the right rice

Make sure you are using a Japanese rice variety (Japonica, short- or medium grain). Each variety has a different sweetness, texture, and taste. Fresh rice has a higher water content and superior flavor. Choose fresh rice whenever available.
Farmer Watanabe’s rice is milled to order for maximum freshness at our rice milling facility in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA, and can be customized to your polish preferences.

2. Rinse the rice

Gently rinse the rice in cold water to remove debris and dirt from the surface, then drain. While the rice is drained but wet, swirl the rice 10-20 times with your fingertips, then rinse with water. The gentle swirling motion creates tiny abrasions on the surface of each grain, helping it absorb water more evenly. Repeat a couple of times.

3. Soak the rice

The golden ratio for Japanese white rice to water is 1 to 1.2.
Or follow the water line in the donabe or rice cooker.
Let the rice stand in clean water (soft mineral water, if available) and soak for 30 minutes so that the moisture reaches the center of each grain.

4. Cook and steam the rice

Cook in a donabe (clay pot rice cooker), electric rice cooker or heavy-bottom saucepan.
Follow directions for your specific donabe or rice cooker for cooking times.
If using a saucepan, cover the pot and bring the rice to boil over medium heat. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, and cook on low heat for 12-15 minutes. Turn off heat. 
Once the heat is turned off, keep the lid on and let the rice stand for 10 minutes to allow for the steam to evenly distribute moisture throughout the pot.

5. Fluff the rice

Before serving, use a shamoji (wooden spatula) or spoon and gently fluff the rice to help release excess moisture.

6. Serve

Enjoy the perfectly cooked rice, plump and glossy, with a delicate fragrance and bouncy chewiness in every bite!
Experience its true flavor on its own, or sprinkle a little salt, furikake, or enjoy with other rice toppings. 

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