Japanese rice recipes

Rice has been a main ingredient in Japanese recipes for thousands of years. From sushi to curry, it is rare to find a Japanese dish that does not include rice. What makes Japanese rice so distinct is its texture: using short-grain rice, it is cooked until fluffy and slightly sticky. This makes the rice easy to handle with chopsticks as the stickiness holds it together. Japanese rice must be prepared in a certain way to achieve this consistency. Here is our guide on how to cook Japanese rice.

Choosing the rice: The first thing you need to do to create a Japanese rice recipe is select the right kind of rice. Not just any rice will do: to make authentic Japanese rice, you need to choose short-grain white rice. Koshihikari is a popular choice for cooking Japanese rice recipes for its flavour and consistency, with varieties readily available in Australia. Sasanishiki and Tsuyahime are good alternatives to Koshihikari but may be rare to find outside of imported grocery stores.

Cooking the rice: The one thing to remember when cooking Japanese rice is that you can’t simply boil it like pasta. To ensure the rice reaches the perfect consistency you must rinse the rice under cold water and let it soak to absorb the water. Do not remove the powder that forms as this will aid in making the rice sticky. Consider adding some Japanese rice seasoning for extra flavour. If you are cooking the rice in a saucepan, measure the water used against the amount of rice (200 ml of water to 1 cup of rice), cook evenly over medium heat, then allow it to rest once cooked to achieve its fluffy texture. Alternatively, try cooking the rice in a rice cooker for the best results.

Creating your dish: Now that your Japanese rice is ready, you can decide which dish to combine it with. Perhaps try it with a Japanese-style pork & mushroom rice bowl or with double sesame-crusted salmon & ginger veggies. The possibilities are diverse.