Gohan – Learn about Japanese rice

At breakfast, he will be there. At the school snack, he will be there. When you want to eat something different at home, he will also be there. How present is rice in the lives of the Japanese? In this article, we will talk exactly about Japanese rice gohan (ご飯), that rice that is fluffy and whole but sticky at the same time. That juicy rice grown straight from the rice fields in Japan.

History and curiosities of Japanese rice

Rice has been cultivated in Japan for over 3,000 years. To cultivate it, a cold climate and enriched soil are necessary.

As most of the Japanese territory consists of mountains and steep terrain, the Japanese cultivate rice in Tanadas (棚田), which are terraces made on the Japanese slopes in a handcrafted way. Just like the location, its cultivation is traditional and mostly done by elderly labor, as younger Japanese are focused on urban life.

Rice in the Kamakura Period (12th century) was already used as currency.

Rice is used on special occasions, as well as offerings to gods and deceased loved ones. Some Japanese believe that there are gods within each grain of rice. There is a rice god named Inari, who is also the god of foxes and fertilization.

Types of Japanese rice

In Japan, there are two main qualities of rice that are most commonly used. Uruchimai (粳米), known as Japanese Rice, is the most used. Its grain is translucent and short. After cooking, it becomes sticky, making it easy to pick up with chopsticks.

On the other hand, mochigome (もち米), known as Glutinous Rice, is short and opaque. After cooking, it becomes even stickier, more glutinous, and firmer. This is used to make mochi or recipes that require more binding, such as sekihan. The mochigome is so sticky that experts found it in the composition of the cement used to build the Great Wall of China! Of course, there are many other types of rice used in Japan that we will not mention in this article.

Japanese rice recipe

This is the recipe for Japanese rice used to eat plain in a bowl or to make Onigiri. It is a very flexible recipe; you determine how much you will use. Just remember to always use double the amount of water for the amount of rice.

Ingredients

• Japanese Rice – 500g
• Water – 1 Liter;

How to make:

• 1. Wash the rice, gently rubbing your hand between the grains to avoid breaking;
• 2. Wash 3 times, or until the water runs as clear as possible. Drain;
• 3. Place in a bowl and add the water to be used for cooking (in this preparation, 1 liter);
• 4. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes, or it can rest overnight;
• 5. Bring the water and rice together to a pot. Important tip: the water should be 2 fingers above the rice. If the amount you are using is small, add more water. But if the water you added exceeds 2 fingers, do not remove the water);
• 6. Start by placing the pot without a lid over high heat until it starts to boil;
• 7. Lower the heat, place a kitchen towel and the lid;
• 8. Cook for at least 5 minutes and keep an eye on your rice. The cooking time depends on the soaking time in water that you left. The longer the soaking time, the shorter the cooking time;
• 9. Turn off the heat. Wait 10 minutes and transfer to a container. Be gentle with the rice; it breaks easily;

Done! Now just enjoy! What did you think of the post? Do you like Gohan? Do you have suggestions for side dishes? What kind of recipes would you like to see here on the site?