Do you like Japanese short-grain rice?
Rice is, no doubt, one of the most important grains in the world. A large proportion of the human population of our planet relies heavily on rice as the main staple food in its diet, especially in Asia.
The number of the dishes one can make using rice is literally countless: paella, sushi, pilaf, arancini…,
and the varieties of the rice itself are numerous: basmati, arborio, Jasmin, Bomba, Pecan… just to name a few.
Nevertheless, regardless of all those varieties, there really are just 3 main cooking methods for all types of rice: pilaf cooking method, risotto and simmering methods.
Pilaf method is very similar to braising: first you sauté dry, uncooked rice in oil and then cook it in an appropriate amount of water or stock, preferably in the oven.
Risotto method starts as the pilaf, but the liquid is added gradually to rice, while continuously whisking, until the rice is just al dente.
Simmering method, however, is probably the most common of the rice cooking methods, and the one that we are going to use today to cook Japanese short-grain rice (not to be confused with sticky rice, although it is sticky as well… but a different rice variety on its own).
So in simmering method it is preferred to know exactly the amount of liquid this specific rice needs to get fully cooked, but if you are not too sure, it is better to add more liquid than needed and then just drain off extra water, like in pasta cooking. However, some people may disagree here, as many of the nutritious properties of the rice are drained away with this extra liquid. So it’s totally up to you.
For approximately 4 portions of the Japanese short-grain rice, we will need:
- 2 cups of short-grain rice
- 2 ½ cups water
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
Directions:
- Wash the rice under warm (not hot water) 6-7 times.
- Let is stay, covered with water for about 30 min.
- Meanwhile, mix 1/2 water, vinegar, salt and sugar.
- After 30 min, transfer the rice into a medium size pot, cover with 2 cups of water, close the lid tightly and let it simmer for about 5 min, until all the water is absorbed.
- Take the rice off the heat, pour the vinegar mixture over as evenly as you can, put the lid back on and let it stand for another 5 minutes.
- Enjoy your Japanese short-grain rice!
You can watch the full video HERE: