The Japanese eat rice almost every day, sometimes 3 meals a day! Cultivated for thousands of years in Japan, rice occupies a highly important place in the culture and is the quintessential staple of the Japanese diet. When comes to the quality of the rice down to the cooking technique, we take every aspect seriously. Today I will share how the Japanese cook rice in a rice cooker. Most importantly, how we measure rice and water to achieve a perfect result.
The Rice-to-Water Ratio for Short-Grain Rice
Over the years, I’ve received a lot of questions from my readers asking why their rice comes out dry. And I think I know the reason. Most online resources (in English) will tell you the rice-to-water ratio for Japanese short-grain white rice is 1 to 1. But what you probably didn’t know is this: That is 10-20% more water (that you didn’t add)! For 1 rice cooker cup (180 ml or ¾ US cup) of rice, you will need 200 ml of water, not 180 ml. That means, if you still want to use a 1-to-1 ratio, the rice must be soaked in separate water for 20-30 minutes (for that extra 10-20%) and drained well before you add the measured water at a 1-to-1 ratio. This way, you made sure your rice got the moisture it needs. Most recipes online do not include that step, which means the rice is missing the additional 10-20% of water that it needs.
So… Exactly How Much Water Do You Need for Each Cup?
The plastic rice cooker cup that comes with the rice cooker is 180 ml or ¾ US cup. In Japan, this amount is called ichi go (一合). Here’s how much room-temperature water you need for each rice cooker cup of Japanese short-grain white rice when you follow the 1-to-1.1 (or 1.2) ratio: Or, just pour water until the marked water line. My family and I actually prefer to add a bit more water than the water line in the rice cooker bowl (see below). Whenever we cook the rice according to the specified water line, the rice comes out a bit too dry. So I highly encourage you to test and adjust the water amount whenever you switch the rice brand or the region where the rice is harvested.
Important Tip: Never Skip Soaking!
Short-grain rice always requires soaking (20-30 minutes) unlike other kinds of rice. The rice grains are rounder and fatter so they need a head start to absorb moisture to the core of the rice kernel. For newer rice cookers, about 10-minutes of “soaking” time is already programmed into the rice cooking menu. However, in my opinion, 10 minutes is not sufficient. I would suggest soaking the rice for at least 20-30 minutes so it has enough time to absorb more moisture.
Remember…
When you use a new crop (新米) – reduce the water slightly.Different brands of rice – require a slightly different amount of water.No measuring cup? – Use a mug to measure rice and water (exact same volume). Soak the rice for 20-30 minutes and drain well. Then add the measured water (a 1-to-1 ratio approach).
How Much Rice Do We Need to Cook?
You can divide the number of servings you need in half to figure out how many rice cooker cups of Japanese short-grain white rice to cook: 1 rice cooker cup (180 ml, ¾ US cup, 150 g) of uncooked rice yields roughly 2 servings (1¾ US cups, 330 g) of cooked rice. This is enough for 2 Japanese rice bowls (typically 150 g each) or 3 onigiri rice balls (typically 110 g each). 1 US cup of cooked rice weighs 6.3 oz (180 g). 1½ rice cooker cups (270 ml, 1⅛ US cups, 225 g) yield roughly 3 servings (2¾ US cups, 495 g) of cooked rice. 2 rice cooker cups (360 ml, 1½ US cups, 300 g) yield roughly 4 servings (3⅔ US cups, 660 g) of cooked rice. 3 rice cooker cups (540 ml, 2¼ US cups, 450 g) yield roughly 6 servings (5½ US cups, 990 g) of cooked rice. 4 rice cooker cups (720 ml, 3 US cups, 600 g) yield roughly 8 servings (7⅓ US cups, 1320 g) of cooked rice. 5 rice cooker cups (900 ml, 3¾ US cups, 750 g) yield roughly 10 servings (9⅙ US cups, 1650 g) of cooked rice.
The Best Way to Store Cooked Rice
What’s the best method to store cooked rice? Simply freeze the rice in airtight containers and reheat to enjoy later on! This is by far the best approach to keeping your rice fresh and moist. How to Store Cooked Rice
My Favorite Rice Cooker
The rice cookers in Japan are more high-tech and have a very futuristic look, but they are also very expensive. The rice cookers, which many of my friends in Japan have, would have cost $1,000! Those of us who live outside of Japan don’t have too many (fancy) choices. Since I came to the US, I’ve been using only Zojirushi brand rice cookers (3 of them). As we eat rice at home almost every single day, I depend highly on a superior quality rice cooker to cook the perfect rice for my family. Zojirushi rice cooker uses pressurized cooking and AI (Artificial Intelligence) to cook rice. It also has a platinum-infused nonstick inner cooking pan that brings out the natural sweetness of the rice. The other features include:
Automatically selects from three pressure levels according to the menu selectedHealthy cooking options: brown rice and GABA brown rice settingsMenu settings include: white (regular, softer or harder), umami, mixed, sushi/sweet, porridge, brown, GABA brown, steam-reduce, scorch, rinse-free and quick cookingMade in Japan
With this rice cooker, I’ve never once needed to worry about dry or mushy rice. It is absolutely one of the must-have kitchen gadgets I can’t live without!
Other Methods of Cooking Japanese Rice
How to Cook Rice in a Pot over StovetopHow to Cook Rice in an Instant PotHow to Cook Rice in a Donabe (Japanese Earhtenware Pot)
Making Delicious Sushi Rice
How to Make Sushi Rice In order to make all types of sushi (sushi rolls, nigiri sushi, hand rolls, etc), you will need Sushi Rice seasoned with sushi vinegar.
Delicious Rice Recipes
Takikomi Gohan (Mixed Rice)12 Donburi (Rice Bowl) RecipesOnigiri (Japanese Rice Balls)Shrimp Fried Rice
I hope you’ve found the above tips helpful. I’ve also included more topics on rice after the recipe below. If you have more questions, leave me a comment below! Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
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Everything You Need to Know about Japanese Rice
