Rice is one of the most essential components of Japanese cuisine. Yes, using good-quality Japanese rice is important, but it is just a part of it. Properly treating rice makes rice tastier, and it is a crucial skill that every Japanese chef should know.
Why Do You Need to Wash Japanese Rice?
Before cooking Japanese rice, the first step is “sharpen” the rice with water. Why do we use the word “sharpen” here? It is because we call the washing process “togu” in Japanese, which means to sharpen. So, the literal translation of washing rice in English is “to sharpen rice,” and we even use the same word for sharpening knives.
So, why do we use the word “sharpen” in Japanese for this washing process?
When milling technology was not yet well developed, the technology was not enough to remove the bran around the rice. People then had to wash the rice in water and rub them together with a strong force to remove the bran before cooking at home as if sharpening the rice.
Modern milling technology, however, removes most of the bran at the milling stage. That means we do not need to rub the rice as much as it used to be. So, no more strong force as if “sharpening” rice is necessary. Yet, we still need to wash rice before cooking to scrape off the remaining bran and dust on the surface.
As a side note, no-wash rice, musenmai (無洗米) in Japanese, is white rice that has been further processed to remove skin bran completely. This type of rice does not need washing at all before cooking since they remove the bran thoroughly in the milling process.
What are the Steps to Wash Rice?
To achieve an ideal and consistent result, it is vital to always cook with the right amount of rice with the right amount of water. To do that, you must accurately measure the elements, including the amount of rice, draining time, time submerged in water, and the amount of water used to cook the rice.
Here, we explain how to wash rice step by step to achieve perfectly cooked rice.
- Use a measuring cup or mug cup. If you have a rice cooker, it would have a specific measuring cup (usually 180mL/6 fl oz or 150g/5.3 oz) as an accessory.
- Fill up the rice to the top of the measuring cup, and use something straight to scrape the top off so that the cup of rice is leveled.
- Put the rice from the cup into a bowl or a cooking pot.
- Pour the water and do the pre-washing. (Pro tip! As soon as the rice touches the water, the rice starts absorbing the water. The water from the pre-washing process is not very clean, so you should minimize the contact between the rice and the water during this process.)
- Stir a little and immediately drain the rice with a strainer.
- Put the rice back into the bowl and pour the water. Start the first wash with both hands. The rice is very delicate and easy to break. Just rub them between your hands very gently.
- When washing the rice, milky water comes out. So, pour more water into the bowl and rinse the rice.
- Drain it with a strainer and put the rice into the bowl.
- Pour the water and rinse the rice once again for the second wash. Rub the rice grains softly in order not to damage them. (Pro tip! You only need a small amount of water to wash the rice evenly. Remember, there is no need to apply any force. If the rice grains get broken into flakes, the rice gets starchy when cooked, and it does not make the best rice anymore.)
- Once again, pour more water into the bowl to rinse and drain it with a strainer.
- Place the rice back in the bowl again for the third wash. (Pro tip! Repeat this process three to four times, but no more than that. If you wash the rice too much or too long, the rice will absorb too much water in the meantime. It leads to the inconsistent result of damaged rice grains. It is okay if the water from the washed rice is still milky.)
- After the final wash, pour water and rinse the rice. Drain the rice with a strainer and place it over the bowl.
- Leave it for 10-20 minutes to drain the water out completely. (Note: This draining process is essential to achieve consistent results, especially when you cook sushi rice.
You can get more info in our class to learn how to wash and cook the rice to get the ideal result that you are looking for!
Tips from Chef
Do any of the pitfalls ring a bell for you? Again, one of the major mistakes is that some people wash the rice vigorously. Another common mistake is that they rinse the rice repeatedly until the milky water does not come out anymore.
These cause the rice grains to break into flakes, and it does not create the ideal texture of cooked rice. The rice is so delicate that you should treat it gently to achieve the perfect result every time.
As mentioned above, there are some tips on how to wash rice as professional chefs do. In our course, we explain other essential elements, like the recommended amount of water and submerging time, along with some recipes with Japanese rice.
With a video and written instructions, you will have a deep understanding of how to wash and cook rice by the end of the class.
