How to cook Japanese rice without a rice-cooker?

Japanese rice features a sticky texture and a sweet taste. These features are gained from starch gelatinization. Rice cookers are designed to maximize the effect of starch gelatinization by cooking rice in a tightly closed container. We can achieve this with a normal pan.  However, two things are important: 

1) Wash and soak rice with cold water 

2) Use the lid on a pan

The aim is to create a temperature gap. Starchiness of rice turns to sweetness when the temperature raises sharply.

Direction for cooking Japanese rice

1. Wash a cup of rice (240cc) in cold water 

 

2. Drain the water through a net and leave the rice to dry for a while (about 10 mins). 

Dry surface helps rice absorbs water quickly when cooking.

                             

3. Put the the rice into a medium size deep pan and add 1.5 times the volume of cold water (360cc). Leave it for 10  mins

                    

 4. Close the lid and start to cook at high temperature. Ideally, place a smaller pan upside-down on the top of the lid. 

I usually add a small frying pan on top of that. This is my instant pressure cooker to maximize the heat and the steam        

An instant pressure cooker

5. Allow the rice to boil for 2 mins, then turn the heat down to lower temperature 

 6. Leave it to gently boil for 5 mins

7. Turn the heat up to highest level again and boil the rice for 1 min                   

 8. Turn the pan upside down while holding the lid with the small pan. Leave it for 5 mins. 

This helps to steam the rice evenly                            

9. Stir the cooked rice from the bottom to the top

10. Serve it in a rice bowl

Instead piling pans on top of the lid, a cast iron pan (such as Le Creuset) is convenient. However, currently I don't have on in appropriate size. Once I get one, I'll try and post here. 

Rice, miso-soup, grilled fish and some veggies are typical Japanese breakfast (Breakfast 21 July)

Rice can be sotred in freezer. I usually separate it into rice bowl portions and wrap each with a cling film. When it is served, heat it up in microwave for 1 min.