Japanese rice,Japanese rice cooker
In the previous entry titled "Japanese Diet Part I ", I wrote that staple food in Japan is rice, and I have introduced some of the popular rice dishes in Japan.
Here in the states, I see all kinds of rice such as Jasmine rice (Thai rice), Basmati rice (Indian rice), Arborio rice (Risotto rice), Wild rice, Brown rice etc..
Back home in Japan, you can see 2 big different kinds of rice. One is glutenous rice mainly used for making Mochi (rice cake), and the other is the one for regular rice (more starchy,sticky,and a little sweeter in taste than Jasmine rice etc).
Japanese rice is thick short body,while Jasmine rice is thin long body,and it has fragrance to it. Big difference of the two; Japanese rice and other kind of rice, is that Japanese rice is sticky. This is the reason why Japanese rice is best suited for making sushi.
If you live in the states and looking for Japanese rice, my favorite brand of rice very similar to Japanese rice textures and tastes, is called "Kokuho Rose Rice". I can get it at International aisle at local grocery store with 5 lb bag. If you have Asian stores near you, you can get big 20 lb bag of Kokuho Rose rice on rice aisle.
Story behind Japanese rice..
In Japan, northern part of Japan; Hokkaido (Northern diamond shaped island), Akita prefecture, Miyagi prefectures (located in northern part of main island of Japan) are 3 big areas with largest rice harvest.
Rice production starts in the big wide flooded paddy field,which we call it "Tanbo". This condition keeps the weed from growing.
Bellow is a youtube video I came across that explain more on Japanese rice. You can see how rice is planted, and harvested.
Japanese Rice
If you are a blog subscriber or reading from face book,please click here to watch the video.
As you see in the video above, to cook the rice, first thing you do is to wash the rice. It will wash off rice bran,which we call it "Nuka". When you look closer in the video, you can see the white stuff coming out as the lady wash the rice. That is "Nuka".
We wash the rice until you will see the clear water running from the rice and,no white cloudy look water coming from the rice.
To cook the rice, I use the Electric rice cooker ,which we call it "Suihan jya" in Japanese. If you buy an Electric rice cooker, it usually come with spoon to scoop up the rice from cooker and measuring cup,which is Japanese measuring cup and different from American measuring cup.
In Japan, 200ml is one cup, while 250ml is one cup with American measuring cup.
You should use it only to cook with the Electric rice cooker though because, if you use the Japanese measuring cup for your baking recipes or something like that, you will have less liquid in the recipe that it calls for unless you were using the Japanese recipe that calls for Japanese measuring cup.
Keep that in mind, and when you use the measuring cup that comes with Electric rice cooker, for us, for example, one cup of the measuring cup yield for 2 adult serving. If my husband needed lunch, I will cook 2 cups with the measuring cup, and usually it is enough without much leftover.It is only if no one wants another cup of rice.
With water amount that should be added to the rice you have measured with the measuring cup is equal number. Meaning, when you measured 1 cup of rice with the measuring cup that came with the rice cooker, look at the side line that says "1" for white rice. You will add the water to a little above the line. Then,close the rice cooker lid and press the start button. But I usually let it sit for 30 minutes in the water. Rice absorb the water during the standby time and makes much tastier rice.
40 minutes to one hour later, you will have tasty rice ready for you.
Rice cooker..
Picture above is the rice cooker that I use. It is by Zojirushi (Japanese brand) and size is about 12"x8"x9". The white spoon is the rice spoon that came with the rice cooker.
As you can see in the picture above, if you look closer on top of the lid, you see 3 small vent. When you cook the rice with this, the steam will come out from the small vent on top of the lid. So, it is important to place this rice cooker not directly under the pantry etc..
When rice cooker lid open..
The silver inner lid and inner bowl come out so that you can wash it clean.
Inner bowl of the rice cooker...
This is nonstick and rice does not get stick. You see the number with line. These are the lines you should look at to decide the water level.
Rice cooker front with menu buttons..
With my rice cooker, left hand side, round big buttons separated to two buttons are the one to keep the cooker temperature warm, and the half bottom button is to keep the rice at warm temperature with saved energy.
One button bellow with red letter is cancel button.
On the center, I can see time. And both sides with smaller letters are menus you would choose from for softness,what the rice should be cooked for.
Under the clock, left hand side is the button to timer the rice cooker.Then, 2 triangle shaped mark buttons are for clock to set the clock.
Right next to it is the button that you would select to use for the pre-washed rice.
Right hand side,one above the pre-washed rice button, you have menu button. By pressing this buttons,you can choose rice softness,menus etc to choose from.
One above, right hand side, top, pink button is the start button. After rice is prepared, you would press this button and rice cooker will start cooking the rice for you.
Mine indicates how many minutes left for rice cookers to be done, and also it starts music when it is done.
I really like my rice cooker and, I can't live without. I have been using for .. almost 9 years. I still like this rice cooker a lot.
What is your favorite rice dish?
Here in the states, I see all kinds of rice such as Jasmine rice (Thai rice), Basmati rice (Indian rice), Arborio rice (Risotto rice), Wild rice, Brown rice etc..
Back home in Japan, you can see 2 big different kinds of rice. One is glutenous rice mainly used for making Mochi (rice cake), and the other is the one for regular rice (more starchy,sticky,and a little sweeter in taste than Jasmine rice etc).
Japanese rice is thick short body,while Jasmine rice is thin long body,and it has fragrance to it. Big difference of the two; Japanese rice and other kind of rice, is that Japanese rice is sticky. This is the reason why Japanese rice is best suited for making sushi.
If you live in the states and looking for Japanese rice, my favorite brand of rice very similar to Japanese rice textures and tastes, is called "Kokuho Rose Rice". I can get it at International aisle at local grocery store with 5 lb bag. If you have Asian stores near you, you can get big 20 lb bag of Kokuho Rose rice on rice aisle.
Story behind Japanese rice..
In Japan, northern part of Japan; Hokkaido (Northern diamond shaped island), Akita prefecture, Miyagi prefectures (located in northern part of main island of Japan) are 3 big areas with largest rice harvest.
Rice production starts in the big wide flooded paddy field,which we call it "Tanbo". This condition keeps the weed from growing.
Bellow is a youtube video I came across that explain more on Japanese rice. You can see how rice is planted, and harvested.
Japanese Rice
If you are a blog subscriber or reading from face book,please click here to watch the video.
As you see in the video above, to cook the rice, first thing you do is to wash the rice. It will wash off rice bran,which we call it "Nuka". When you look closer in the video, you can see the white stuff coming out as the lady wash the rice. That is "Nuka".
We wash the rice until you will see the clear water running from the rice and,no white cloudy look water coming from the rice.
To cook the rice, I use the Electric rice cooker ,which we call it "Suihan jya" in Japanese. If you buy an Electric rice cooker, it usually come with spoon to scoop up the rice from cooker and measuring cup,which is Japanese measuring cup and different from American measuring cup.
In Japan, 200ml is one cup, while 250ml is one cup with American measuring cup.
You should use it only to cook with the Electric rice cooker though because, if you use the Japanese measuring cup for your baking recipes or something like that, you will have less liquid in the recipe that it calls for unless you were using the Japanese recipe that calls for Japanese measuring cup.
Keep that in mind, and when you use the measuring cup that comes with Electric rice cooker, for us, for example, one cup of the measuring cup yield for 2 adult serving. If my husband needed lunch, I will cook 2 cups with the measuring cup, and usually it is enough without much leftover.It is only if no one wants another cup of rice.
With water amount that should be added to the rice you have measured with the measuring cup is equal number. Meaning, when you measured 1 cup of rice with the measuring cup that came with the rice cooker, look at the side line that says "1" for white rice. You will add the water to a little above the line. Then,close the rice cooker lid and press the start button. But I usually let it sit for 30 minutes in the water. Rice absorb the water during the standby time and makes much tastier rice.
40 minutes to one hour later, you will have tasty rice ready for you.
Rice cooker..
Picture above is the rice cooker that I use. It is by Zojirushi (Japanese brand) and size is about 12"x8"x9". The white spoon is the rice spoon that came with the rice cooker.
As you can see in the picture above, if you look closer on top of the lid, you see 3 small vent. When you cook the rice with this, the steam will come out from the small vent on top of the lid. So, it is important to place this rice cooker not directly under the pantry etc..
When rice cooker lid open..
The silver inner lid and inner bowl come out so that you can wash it clean.
Inner bowl of the rice cooker...
This is nonstick and rice does not get stick. You see the number with line. These are the lines you should look at to decide the water level.
Rice cooker front with menu buttons..
With my rice cooker, left hand side, round big buttons separated to two buttons are the one to keep the cooker temperature warm, and the half bottom button is to keep the rice at warm temperature with saved energy.
One button bellow with red letter is cancel button.
On the center, I can see time. And both sides with smaller letters are menus you would choose from for softness,what the rice should be cooked for.
Under the clock, left hand side is the button to timer the rice cooker.Then, 2 triangle shaped mark buttons are for clock to set the clock.
Right next to it is the button that you would select to use for the pre-washed rice.
Right hand side,one above the pre-washed rice button, you have menu button. By pressing this buttons,you can choose rice softness,menus etc to choose from.
One above, right hand side, top, pink button is the start button. After rice is prepared, you would press this button and rice cooker will start cooking the rice for you.
Mine indicates how many minutes left for rice cookers to be done, and also it starts music when it is done.
I really like my rice cooker and, I can't live without. I have been using for .. almost 9 years. I still like this rice cooker a lot.
What is your favorite rice dish?
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