The Japanese secret to washing rice for incredibly delicious rice.

Anyone who has ever tasted Japanese rice will surely nod in approval and praise its deliciousness. Let's take a look at how the Japanese cook rice.

The first thing to mention is the type of rice they use to cook. Unlike the long, slender grains of Vietnamese rice, Japanese rice has white, round, and very hard grains. When cooked, the rice is very sticky, fragrant, and the grains are plump and glossy, with a rich, sweet flavor. Nowadays, it's not difficult to find Japanese rice in Vietnam as many stores import it.

The difference between Japanese rice (left) and regular rice.

The next difference lies in the Japanese way of cooking and washing rice. One cup of rice, leveled with chopsticks, will yield two cups of cooked rice. After measuring the rice, the next crucial step for the Japanese is washing it. Unlike the Vietnamese approach, which only requires a quick rinse to remove surface dirt and retain nutrients, the Japanese wash their rice very thoroughly, twice. In the first rinse, after adding water, they stir twice and then drain the water. In the second rinse, they wash until the water is clear enough to see the rice grains clearly. The Japanese don't focus on how many times they wash the rice, but rather on how clean it is after washing.

How the Japanese measure rice

The next step, which is quite important in the Japanese way of cooking rice, is soaking the rice. After washing and draining the rice, place the rice in a colander inside the pot and cover it with a damp cloth for 30 minutes to allow the rice to absorb moisture. After 30 minutes, add the rice to the pot. With Japanese rice, you need to measure the water very precisely. The usual water-to-rice ratio is 1:1 (for rice packaged within 3 months) or 1:1.1 (for rice packaged more than 3 months).

The Japanese wash rice very thoroughly until the water is clear enough to see the rice grains.

Another important point to note when cooking Japanese rice is to select the "quick cook" setting after adding the rice to the rice cooker. This is because the rice has already been soaked for 30 minutes, absorbing the necessary moisture, so the usual soaking step is unnecessary.

After washing, the Japanese will let the rice soak for 30 minutes to absorb the moisture.

After the rice is cooked, don't remove the pot immediately. Instead, use chopsticks to fluff the rice, allowing the steam to escape for about a minute before covering it again. Let it sit for another 10 minutes before taking it out.

The glossy rice grains look very appealing.

After 10 minutes, you will see that the rice grains are very soft, shiny, and visually appealing.

Why don't you try this cooking method?

TP (compiled)