Don’t have a rice cooker? Are you washing your rice with the kettle after cooking it? Does your rice have hard bits in the middle? Well, you’re in the right place. After a load of experimenting, I’ve created this guide on how to cook Japanese rice on the stovetop.
This post contains amazon affiliate links which means I will earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you buy a recommended product through a link on this website.
All these instructions may seem overwhelming and complicated but trust me, you’ll get the hang of it after a couple of goes. I’ve relied on a rice cooker for ages but when I found myself without one which meant I had to learn from scratch.
It took me a few goes and I made quite a few mistakes along the way but hopefully through my trials and tribulations, you won’t suffer as much as I did!
Tips for Cooking Japanese Rice
- Rinse the rice with cold water. This washes away excess starch which will result in a fluffy rice. The water doesn’t need to be crystal clear. I wash and rinse mine about three times (including the last wash from the soaking).
- Soak the rice for 20 minutes and drain well. Soaking the rice helps ensure even cooking throughout every grain, so no more hard parts in the middle.
- Don’t mix the rice whilst it’s cooking. This will result in mushy and uncooked rice. Once the rice has started cooking it is essential to leave it alone! no mixing! promise me! and no taking off the lid.
- Steam the rice. After cooking off the water, the next step is to steam. This just means kill the heat and leave it alone with the lid on.
- Don’t rinse rice after it has cooked. As long as you follow all these tips, there will be no need to wash the rice with hot water.
- Fluff it up. The best technique for fluffing is to scrape the top with a rice paddle or a wooden spoon and work in a folding motion, not a cutting one.
Ingredients and Equipment.
- 1 cup Japanese rice (approximately 220 grams)
- 1 cup water (approximately 235 millilitres)
- 1 non-stick pot with a lid
- 1 wooden spoon
How to cook Japanese Rice on a Stovetop (with pictures)
This step by step guide will show you how to cook Japanese rice on a stovetop.
- Measure Rice.
Measure out 1 US Cup (approximately 220 grams) of Japanese rice and add it into the pot.
- Rinse Rice.
Rinse the rice in a circular motion and drain. Do this 2-3 times until the water is less cloudy. The image below is what the water should look like during the first wash.
- Second Wash.
This is what the water looks like during the second wash.
- Soak/Third Wash and Drain.
On the third wash add enough water to cover the rice and leave it to soak for 20 minutes. Once it has finished soaking, give it a wash by mixing it with your hands then drain the water well.
- Measure Water.
Measure out one US cup of water (approximately 235 millilitres) and add to the rice. It should be a 1:1-1:2 ratio of rice to water.
- Start Cooking.
Start cooking the rice on a high heat and don’t cover with a lid at this point.
- Boil.
Once you start to see the water boiling, cover with a lid and turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, or until there is no more water left in the pan. Using a glass lid is useful to see if there is any water left in the pan.
- Low Heat Example.
- Steam.
Once there is no more water left in the pan, switch off the heat and let steam for approximately 15 minutes.
- Fluff.
Using a wooden spoon, scrape along the top of the rice and gently fold to mix.
- Serve.
Serve up and enjoy!
Troubleshooting
There are a few factors which will influence how your rice turns out – the pot, the lid, environmental factors, the size of the grain, and even the type of stove you’re using. It might take a couple tries to make the perfect rice, but with the handy tips below, you’ll get there!
I would reccomend having a dedicated rice pot as each different pot/pan will require slighly different cooking methods. I like to use a non stick pot with a glass lid!
If your rice is mushy, it could be down to:
- Too much soaking time. Depending on the grain, some rice will need more or less soaking. Try reducing the soaking time by a couple minutes.
- Too much water. If there is too much water in the pot, the rice will become too soft. The correct ratio is 1:1-1:2, so if you used this measurement, the rice is likely mushy due to different reason.
- Overcooking. Cooking the rice for too long can result in mushy rice – try reducing the cooking time.
If your rice is hard, it could be down to:
- Undercooking. The rice could be hard due not being cooked/steamed for long enough. To fix this, add more water and cook for longer.
- Not enough soaking time. Soaking is essential for perfectly cooked rice. Try soak the rice for longer.
- Not enough water. If too little water was added, then the rice will stay hard inside. This is quite simple to fix, just add more water and cook for longer with the lid on!
How to Cook Japanese Rice on a Stovetop
Equipment
- 1 Non-stick Pot with a Lid (Medium Sized)
- 1 Rice Paddle or Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- 1 US Cup Japanese Rice (approximately 220 grams)
- 1 US Cup Water (approximately 235 millilitres)
Instructions
- Measure out 1 US Cup (approximately 220 grams) of Japanese rice and place it into the cooking pot.
- Rinse the rice. Add enough cold water into the pot to cover the rice. In a circular motion, gently wash the rice until the water turns cloudy then drain. Repeat this one more time.
- Once you have rinsed and drained the rice twice, fill the pot up again with cold water and leave the rice to soak for 20 minutes.
- After the rice has finished soaking, give it a final mix and then drain the water well.
- Measure out one US cup of water (approximately 235 millilitres) and add to the rice.
- Place the pot, uncovered, on a high heat. Once the water starts to boil, cover with a lid and turn down the heat to its lowest setting. Cook for 10 minutes, or until all the water has evaporated.
- As soon as you can't see any more water in the pot, switch off the heat and leave it covered for about 15 minutes. The steam will continue cooking the rice.
- Once the rice has finished steaming, lift off the lid and fluff up your rice in a scraping motion.
- Serve and enjoy!
Where can I buy Japanese Rice in the UK?
If you are around any Asian supermarkets then I would recommend checking those out to see if they have any good deals. I recently bought this 5kg bag of rice on Amazon which I’m really pleased with. It isn’t the best quality but it’s great value and satisfies my need for short-grain rice.
