SHORT GRAIN JAPANESE RICE RECIPES

Steps:

• You will probably want to start preparing the rice before the rest of the meal; if it is ready first, it will stay hot for a while in the pot.
• First, wash the rice with water, by swishing the water through with your hands or a wooden spoon, and then draining-- some older cookbooks will tell you to rinse thoroughly, but most modern rice says on the package"no talc," (that's what they use to polish it), so all you are doing is washing off the surface dust.
• Put the rice and measured water into a medium flat-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid.
• Ideally, you will soak the rice for 15 minutes to 3 hours before starting to cook it, but if you are pressed for time, you can add an extra tablespoon of water and skip the soak.
• Cover the pot, turn the heat on high, and bring the rice to a boil (about 4 minutes): you will know it is boiling because you will hear it bubbling and"dancing" inside the pot.
• Do not remove the lid.
• Turn the heat to low (if you have an electric stove you may need to switch to another burner) and simmer (about 15 minutes): you will hear the rice burbling a bit.
• Do not remove the lid.
• When the water is all absorbed, the sound will change to a low hiss.
• When you hear the hissing sound, turn the heat up to high again for just 20-30 seconds to help"dry off" the bottom of the rice.
• Do not remove the lid.
• Turn off the heat completely (especially if you have an electric stove, remove the pot from the heat altogether) and let the rice stand covered (do not remove the lid!) and steam itself for another 10-20 minutes.
• Dampen a wooden spoon or wooden rice paddle.
• Now remove the lid!
• Toss the rice lightly with the spoon or paddle so that it is fluffed a bit but still clumps enough to be picked up with chopsticks.
• If you need to keep the rice hot a while longer, hold a kitchen towel to the lid of the pot to absorb the moisture, then put the lid back on the pot.
• Serve in individual rice bowls.

Steps:

• Pour the rice into a bowl, and cover it with an inch or so of water. Using a spoon or your fingers, swirl the rice around in the water to help it release any dust or starch, then carefully pour off the clouded water. Repeat until the rinsing water runs clear.
• Place the rice into a rice cooker or, if cooking on a stovetop, into a medium-size pot with a tightfitting lid. Add 2 cups water to the rice, put the lid on the rice cooker or pot, then either start the rice cooker or, if cooking on a stovetop, bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. If cooking on the stovetop, reduce the heat under the pot to low, and cook, covered, until the rice has absorbed all the water, approximately 18 to 20 minutes.
• Remove the top from the pot or rice cooker, and using a wooden spoon or rice paddle, fluff the rice around a little, then loosely replace the top and allow the rice to sit for an additional 10 or 15 minutes before serving.