How to Cook Japanese Rice without a Rice Cooker

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

How to Cook Japanese Rice without a Rice Cooker

As you might know, rice is the staple food of Japan, and Japanese people eat rice daily. That's why almost every Japanese home has a rice cooker. Indeed, Japan has the best rice cookers in the world. Some high-end Japanese rice cookers, which are around 100,000 yen (are equivalent to about $1,000), have been more and more popular in Japan these years because those make really perfect rice. Many people in Japan think that expensive rice cookers are really worth it to improve their everyday life.

Indeed, I was thinking about buying a high-end rice cooker in Japan when I had a chance to visit there, but I cook rice without a rice cooker now. Years ago, I never thought that I could live without a rice cooker! When my rice cooker broke a few years ago, I decided to cook rice on the stove, and I was surprised that it was pretty easy and saves my kitchen space. Today, I'm going to share with you how I cook rice on the stove.

My Family's Rice Field in Japan

How I Store Uncooked Rice

You can store rice in room temperature, but I store rice in a refrigerator to keep rice fresh longer. The main reason why I store rice there is to prevent bugs in rice.

I put rice and rice cup in the Ziploc and store them in a refrigerator.

How I Store Cooked Rice

I always cook large amount of rice at a time. As soon as I cook the rice, I wrap them and store them in a freezer. When I want to eat rice, I just microwave one serving of frozen cooked rice for two and half minutes. It really save my time. 😉

I cook large amount of rice and enjoy later.

When I cook torimeshi, I also store them in the freezer.

Water to White Rice Ratio

"200 ml of Water to 1 Rice Measuring Cup of White Rice"

I usually cook 7 rice measuring cups of rice, and use 1,400 ml of water. I use the largest Pyrex measuring cup to measure water.

How to Cook Rice on the Stove

How to Cook Rice on the Stove

What You'll Need

7 Rice Measuring Cups of White Rice

1,400 ml of Water

I also use large strainer with bowl and a 5-qt pot.

1. Rinse the Rice.

Put the rice in large strainer with bowl, and pour water to it. Stir the rice in the water several times. Then drain. Repeat this step 5 times or so.

2. Soak the Rice.

Put the rice in the large pot, and add water. Let the rice soak in water for 30 minutes to over night. I usually soak the rice in water for one hour or so.

3. Cook the Rice.

Cover the lid, and heat the pan over high heat. When the water starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium high. Cook it for 8 to 10 minutes until the water has been absorbed almost completely. Turn off the heat and wait for another 10 minutes, covered.