Types of Japanese Rice
The annual rice consumption of the Japanese is 50.8 kg. At 0.5 cups of rice per bowl, this means that 667 cups of rice are eaten per year. In recent years, Japanese people have been eating not only rice but also pasta, bread, and other staple foods, and the amount of rice consumed has been decreasing year by year, but they still eat less than 2 cups of rice per day. It can be said that rice is still a very important food for the Japanese.
There are three types of rice: japonica, indica, and javanica.
The rice grown in Japan is japonica, with short, rounded grains. Japanese rice is also characterized by its firmness and elasticity after it cools, and can be cooked soft or hard.
In addition, there are many varieties of rice, and each person chooses his or her favorite depending on his or her taste.
Each rice has its own characteristics, which I will briefly explain.
The figure is as shown here. Koshihikari, Akita Komachi, and Nanatsubosi are popular.
Sasanishiki and Akita Komachi, which are less sticky, are often used for sushi.
How Rice is Sold in Stores
Rice is sold in supermarkets in the form of brown rice, white rice, and packs of cooked rice.
Brown rice (pictured above) is the rice with the outer husk removed, and white rice (pictured below) is the rice with the bran and germ further removed from the brown rice. Brown rice is brown color and white rice is white color.
Brown rice is rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and contains nearly four to six times as much fiber as white rice.
There is also a type of rice called Butsuki-mai, which is named according to how much of the unhulled rice has been removed from the brown rice. Rice that has had approximately 10% of the hull removed is called Ichibu(10%)-mai , and rice that has had 100% of the hull removed is called Jyubu(100%)-mai, or white rice. Specialty rice stores sell this type of rice with parts or will polish the rice on the spot, but it is not sold in general supermarkets. But if you have a home-use rice milling machine, you can adjust the rice yourself to obtain Butsuki-mai. (See below).
White rice is easier to eat but has lower nutritional value than brown rice. Brown rice is harder to eat but more nutritious. Therefore, the balance between palatability and nutritional value can be adjusted by adjusting the ratio of shaved rice.
Recently, cooked rice is also available in packets. Simply heat it in a microwave oven, and you can have rice that looks like it is freshly cooked. Since it can be stored for a long time, it is very useful.
How to Cook Rice
Rice can be cooked by washing, allowing to absorb water, and then cooking.
How to Wash Rice
First, here is how to wash white rice.
Wash the amount of rice you want to cook. In this case, I washed 3 cups.
Measure 3 cups of rice and place in a bowl.
One cup of rice is 180 ml (1合/1gou).
In Japan, there are cups for rice, and one cup is 180ml.
When measuring rice in the cup, use chopsticks or other tools to remove excess rice so that the amount is exactly the same.
Once the rice is in the bowl, add water to wash the rice to remove dirt and bran.
Discard the water relatively quickly the first time.
Repeat adding water, stirring gently, and discarding water 3-4 times until the water is somewhat clear.
Drain the rice in a colander. Next, proceed to water absorption.
Brown rice is washed and cooked in the same way, but only needs a quick change of water once or twice.
Water Absorption
| Volume of Water | Time | |
| White Rice | 210ml | 30mins-1hr |
| Brown Rice | 250-300ml | 4-8hrs |
After washing the rice, the rice is placed in the required amount of water and allowed to water for a certain period of time.
The amount of water for milling is 210 ml per 1 cup of white rice. The time should be from 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Brown rice requires 250-300 ml of water per 1 cup. The time should be 4 to 8 hours.
But some rice cookers have a mode that allows white rice or brown rice to cook well without a long water absorbing time .
Tap water can be used, but soft water is recommended. Hard water will result in a bland texture.
Also, freshly harvested rice, which comes out around October, contains a lot of water, so it is better to reduce the water.
After water absorption is complete, cook rice in a pot, earthenware pot, pressure cooker, or rice cooker.
How to Cook Rice in a Pot
Rice can be cooked in a rice cooker, earthenware pot or pot. Recently, there are also goods that cook rice in a microwave oven.
Here we will show you how to cook white rice in a pot. Note that the method of cooking rice in a pot and earthenware pot is the same.
In addition, although we cooked white rice this time, you can also cook brown rice.
Since I will be cooking 3 cups of white rice, I added 630 ml of water and let the rice absorb water for 30 minutes as shown in the photo.
After water absorption is complete, cover the pot with a lid and turn on the heat. The pot should be on medium heat, or in the case of earthenware pots, on high medium heat.
(For brown rice, water absorption and time will vary. The intensity of the fire is the same.)
Then it comes to a boil. Steam comes out well.
Then turn the heat down to low and wait until the steam runs out. (Roughly 12-15 minutes, depending on the condition of the pot.)
When the steam is gone and you hear a crackling sound coming from the pot, turn off the heat.
After turning off the heat, leave the pot for 10 minutes. This is the process of fluffing up the rice, so be sure to do it.
Break Up Rice
After cooking, make a circle around the pot with the wooden rice paddle (Syamoji, しゃもじ).
Then, make a crisscross line with the wooden rice paddle.
Turn 1/4 from the bottom. Next, turn 1/4 again, then 1/4, and so on.
Loosen gently to allow air to enter.
Completed!
How to Cook Rice in a Pressure Cooker
I cook 2 cups of brown rice this time.
The brown rice has been watered with 500 ml of water.
After water absorption, cover and heat. After 10 minutes, turn off the heat. (Pressurization time may vary depending on the pressure cooker.)
After the pressure is released, leave the pot for 10 minutes.
After that, break up rice and serve.
Brown rice is nutritious and has a pliable texture. This texture seems to be a matter of taste.
How to Store Cooked Rice
As soon as the rice is cooked, it is recommended to wrap it in plastic wrap or place it in a container for each portion to be eaten, remove it from the heat, and freeze it immediately. This will prevent the moisture in the rice from evaporating.
When ready to eat, heat the rice in a microwave. Use the normal warming function, never the defrost function. 2-3 minutes is recommended for one serving.
Rice Storage
Rice oxidizes and loses its flavor when exposed to air, so it should be stored in an airtight container in a well-ventilated place out of direct sunlight. A refrigerator is recommended.
Such a container is convenient, but if you do not have one, you can use a Ziploc to seal it.
Also, rice tastes best immediately after milling. Over time, it deteriorates and loses its flavor due to moisture loss and oxidation. For this reason, brown rice is less likely to deteriorate than white rice.
Roughly one month to one and a half months after milling is a good guideline for storage.
Rice Milling Machine
As mentioned earlier, it is said that rice tastes best immediately after milling. Therefore, using a home-use rice milling machine and milling rice just before cooking allows you to eat delicious rice. Also, you can set the amount of rice to be shaved from brown rice by yourself, so you can easily make Butsuki-mai.
As you can see, our family has tried various types of rice, but now we use a rice milling machine.
The rice bran from rice milling is also useful for making pickles.
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