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You are here: Home / Rice / How to Cook Rice Without a Rice Cooker

December 29, 2015 By Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles 6 Comments

How to Cook Rice Without a Rice Cooker

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Japanese rice is my favourite kind of rice because of of it’s sticky and soft texture, because it isn’t dry, and because it tastes delicious even on its own. I think everybody in Japan has a rice cooker but not a lot of people in non-asian countries have one since rice isn’t as much of a staple dish.

How to Cook Rice without a Rice Cooker

Even without a rice cooker, you can still easily make delicious Japanese rice in a pot! I was so shocked when I first came to Australia and saw the way some people were making rice here. They would over-fill the pot with water then cook the rice and then drain it! The rice would then end up so soggy and too fluffy! It seriously hurt me how they made rice…

How to Cook Rice without a Rice Cooker

Making rice isn’t complicated though and soggy rice can always be avoided. To make sure the rice turns out delicious, make sure that you never open the lid while the rice is cooking and leave it closed for 10 minutes after. Another tip is since Japanese rice is quite starchy, make sure you wash the rice thoroughly to remove the access starch. Once the rice is done, you can use it to make many delicious Japanese dishes like Onigiri and Katsudon (Fried Pork Rice Bowl), and you can use the plain rice to then make Perfect Sushi Rice!

rice cooked in a claypot

How to Cook Rice Without a Rice Cooker

How to make delicious plain Japanese rice without a rice cooker and tips on how to avoid soggy rice and other disasters!
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Course: Rice
Cuisine: Japanese
Servings: 6
Calories: 225kcal
Author: Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of Japanese rice
  • 2 cups of water

Instructions

  • Measure out 2 cups of rice and pour into a large pot.
  • Thoroughly wash and drain the rice several times until the water is clearer (at least 3).
  • After washing the rice a last time, drain out the remaining water.
  • Pour 2 cups of water into the drained rice.
  • Bring the pot to boil on high heat then once boiled turn the heat down to low.
  • Leave the rice to cook on low heat for 12 minutes.
  • Turn the heat off and leave the rice for 10 minutes.
  • After 10 minutes, stir the rice to make sure it doesn't dry out in the shape of the pot. Then serve!

Notes

Japanese people consume rice variety called "Koshihikari" which has lower GI number of 48. It is white short grain rice and can be purchased from Asian or Japanese grocery stores or online.

Nutrition

Calories: 225kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 4g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 70mg | Calcium: 2% | Iron: 2.7%
Tried this recipe?Mention @chopstickchronicles or tag #chopstickchronicles!

 

Filed Under: Rice Tagged With: plain rice, rice

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Toni | 2 Aussie Travellers says

    December 30, 2015 at 7:13 PM

    I’d be lost without my rice cooker, I’m on my second one but it makes dinner so easy. I will pin this in case I do need to cook rice somewhere without it though!

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      December 31, 2015 at 6:09 PM

      Thank you Toni, yes you never know you might need to cook rice without a rice cooker one day 😀

      Reply
  2. Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says

    May 26, 2016 at 10:53 PM

    This is a great idea. Sometimes I just don’t want to use my rice cooker — it takes a long time. Mine is a “steamer” type and it’s really old. Is there a “type” of rice you prefer?

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      May 27, 2016 at 8:15 PM

      Hi Marisa, actually if you use those clay pot, the rice taste a lot better than using rice cookers. I prefer short grain rice called “Koshihikari” which is the best rice in my opinion. They are white rice but it’s GI is relatively low too.

      Reply
  3. Pablo says

    March 12, 2018 at 7:59 AM

    nice method thank you !

    Reply
    • Chopstick Chronicles says

      March 12, 2018 at 7:48 PM

      thank you very much 🙂

      Reply

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Welcome to Chopstick Chronicles!

My name is Shihoko. I am a born and raised Japanese native who is now living in Australia! I like to cook all the delicious dishes I ate while growing up in Japan and share all these authentic Japanese dishes with you! Read More…

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KONNICHIWA

Welcome to Chopstick Chronicles!
My name is Shihoko. I am a born and raised Japanese native who is now living in Australia! I like to cook all the delicious dishes I ate while growing up in Japan and share all these authentic Japanese dishes with you! Read More…

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