Japanese Rice Cooked in a Clay Pot (Gohan)
Cook short-grain rice in a Japanese clay pot (donabe) to produce rice with a lightly crisped bottom.
Ingredients
Japanese short-grain rice
2¼ cups
spring or filtered water (see page 19 for details)
Scant 2²⁄ 3 cups
Instructions
1
Step 1
Wash the rice in a large bowl, changing the water 3 to 4 times until the water runs nearly clear (see page 37). Drain in a sieve for 1 hour.
2
Step 2
Combine the rice and water in a Japanese clay pot (donabe), cover with the lid to seal. Heat the pot over high heat. As soon as you see steam escaping from the hole in the lid, immediately set a timer for 3 minutes (do not reduce the heat).
3
Step 3
When the time is up, remove the pot from the heat. Let the rice rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Carefully remove the lid. Gently fold the rice with a Japanese rice paddle (shamoji), then transfer to a wooden rice bucket (ohitsu) if available, or cover the rice with a cotton cloth (fukin) and put the lid back on.
