How To Make Perfect Sticky Rice (short grain)
Hi! I am Kumiko. I am Japanese, a mother of 2 beautiful children, and we live in Ontario, Canada.
The rice cooker is one of the best cooking tools in my kitchen. I cook and eat rice every day! (Yes, because I am Japanese lol)
Cooking rice using the rice cooker is super easy and simple but there is more to it than just adding rice in water and pushing the start button.
I will share the best rice cooking tips and tricks that Japanese use everyday to make the best sticky rice!
Tip 1. Measure rice precisely
Use the measuring cup and measure precisely each time.
The lines (1 to 5.5 in the picture) in the bowl of the rice cooker is the measurement used in Japan and it is called gou.
1 gou is 180ml.
The rice measuring cup usually comes with the rice cooker. Use the finger or chopstick to remove the overflowing rice in the cup.
Tip 2. Wash rice
Why do we need to wash rice? White rice sold at stores has been milled/polished, however, the bran (outer brown layer of the brown rice), fine dirt, and dust still need to be removed.
(Measurement: 1 gou (180ml) rice)
- Add 180ml rice in the bowl.
- Add an ample amount of cold water and stir rice with your hand. Dump water.
- Repeat #2 a few times.
- Add clean cold water to line 1 in the bowl.
- Put the bowl in the rice cooker and close the lid. Leave it for at least 30 minutes in the summer (60 minutes in the winter).
- Push the cook button!
#5 is an important step. Rice needs to absorb water before cooking. This step will make the cooked rice more fluffy and tasty!
Tick: The starch and umami in the rice grains flow out if rice is washed too much. It is ok if the water in rice is not clear after washing a few times.
Tip 3. Steam and Loosen rice
After rice is cooked, do not open the lid right away! Rice needs to be steamed for about 10 to 15 minutes (if your rice cooker does not have the steam function).
Rice will taste even better if steamed because the steam will be absorbed into each rice grain and it gets fluffy and sticky.
After rice is steamed, open the lid and loosen rice with the rice paddle/scooper.
This step prevents rice from sticking too much and removes the excess water. If you miss this step, excess water makes rice stick too much and rice will harden and taste not as good.
Now, it is time to enjoy eating delicious rice! 🙂
How To Make Perfect Jasmine Rice & Basmati Rice (long grain rice)
Jasmine rice and basmati rice are the aromatic long grain rice.
They have the sweet and sophisticated fragrance and taste.
They can be cooked in a rice cooker too, however, it is recommended that these rice are not to be washed prior to cooking. The best feature of these rice is the aroma. The rice loses it aroma if they are washed.
If you are concerned about the fine dirt and dust, you can still wash the rice but try to just rinse it once.
As for the amount of water, put the same amount of water of the scooped rice (if you are cooking one cup of rice, put one cup of water).
When it finishes cooking, steam the rice for about 5 to 10 minutes depending on the amount of cooked rice.
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