Читать книгу YO Sushi: The Japanese Cookbook - Kimiko Barber - Страница 20

Rice is the staple of the Japanese diet, and no matter how elaborate a meal may be, the main course always includes a bowl of rice. Although domestic production and consumption have been on the decline for some decades due to the ever-increasing westernisation of Japanese life, this humble grain still holds centre stage in the Japanese kitchen. American-grown, Japanese-style, short-grain rice is widely available outside Japan and is the closest substitute for home-grown rice. Typically sold in 1kg (2 ¹/₄lb) or 2.5kg (5 ¹/₂lb) packages, it is usually labelled ‘Japanese-style’ or ‘sushi’ rice.

Today, nearly all Japanese households have automatic electric or gas rice cookers complete with electric timers, a choice of programmes, thermal control and options such as delayed start, and they are used at least once a day for preparing family meals. An electric rice cooker is a labour-saving, fail-safe piece of kitchen equipment, and will deliver consistently good results – if you often eat rice it is well worth buying one. But you can also cook perfect Japanese rice without an automatic rice cooker.

For rice with a subtly sweet taste, which is plump, glossy and slightly sticky (so that it is easy to eat with chopsticks), you need to wash off the starch that coats the surface of the raw grain before you begin cooking.

Below you will find two methods for cooking and preparing ‘Japanese style’ rice: the first method is for making rice that is to be eaten on its own, to be fried or to accompany other dishes (such as donburi or curry); the second method is for making rice for sushi (such as maki, nigiri, hand rolls, and inside-out rolls).