How to Cook Japanese Rice in a Pot

Rice is the main staple food of Japanese people and is cooked daily in Japanese households. As a staple food, it holds a lot of value in Japanese cuisine and is eaten in many different ways. From being enjoyed alongside other flavorful side dishes to serving as the base of donburi rice bowls or even being shaped into onigiri, the possibilities are endless.

In our last post, we showed you how to properly prepare Japanese rice in a rice cooker. While rice cookers are common appliances found in Japanese households, they are not the end-all-be-all for making perfect Japanese rice. You can still make delicious Japanese short-grain rice using a pot on the stove!

These days, there is an increasing number of people in Japan who opt to cook rice in a pot rather than in a rice cooker. The reason for this is simple: "the taste is delicious.” When cooking rice in a pot, the rice is heated by slow heat conduction, making it sweeter, and the material of the pot removes excess moisture, resulting in a firm texture and great taste.

Of course, rice cookers also produce delicious rice. They are useful appliances because they offer many functions for making fool-proof perfect rice, as we discussed in our rice cooker Japanese rice recipe. However, electric rice cookers vary in price from about 5,000 yen to 80,000 yen (approximately $50 to $800 USD!). If you're seeking a certain level of taste and ultra-high functionality, the market price for a rice cooker starts at 20,000 yen and up (equivalent to almost $200 USD). Therefore, rice cookers can be expensive! Additionally, if you and your family do not consume rice often, investing in a quality rice cooker may seem like a steep investment.

Today, we would like to show you how to make delicious and perfect Japanese rice in a pot every single time. Stay tuned to learn all of our tips and tricks, so you can achieve superb results when cooking rice to pair with other Japanese dishes.