RECIPE
COOK RICE
the Japanese way AYA OSADA
RECIPES AND PHOTOS AYA OSADA EDITED BY DENYSE YEO
In the third instalment of our four-part series on the building blocks of Japanese cuisine, cooking researcher and nutritionist Satoshi Nagata shares why rice is more than nice.
T
he history of rice production in Japan is an old one. In fact, the Japanese began to cultivate rice more than 3,000 years ago, with the skill brought over from China then making its way to Kyushu. Rice remains a staple in the Japanese diet. Today, this ancient practice continues in almost every prefecture in the country. Every spring, farmers begin their preparations to plant their crop: Till the soil, ensure that the seedlings are strong and planted in the fields. In summer, as the rice grows, farmers tend the field by weeding and managing the water levels. During the autumn, the colours of the rice fields transform from bright green to golden yellow — a sign that it’s time to harvest. The rice stalks are cut, threshed and dried, and the rice grains stored. What is removed from the chaff is whole brown rice. Brown rice has vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre, so it is fantastic for a healthy diet. But brown
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rice is not easily digested and can be tough to chew. It’s why in Japan, brown rice is often polished to become white rice. Japan is a major rice producer, so it comes as no surprise that the country has an almost bewildering number of rice brands, including famous names like Koshihikari, Sasanishiki, Hitomebore and Milky-Queen. Just as varied is how white rice is cooked in Japan, as each rice brand has its preferred cooking method. Even as more people eat bread and noodles instead of rice, rice still has its place in this part of the world and remains the best accompaniment to traditional Japanese washoku cuisine. Read on for a basic introduction of how to cook rice nicely, as well as for making salt musubi (onigiri or rice balls), yaki-musubi (grilled rice balls) and ochazuke (Japanese rice steeped in tea). The best part is you don’t need any special equipment to try these simple yet delicious recipes.
We offer excellent yaki-musubi with a lot of fermented ingredients, as well as miso soup, in Yanaka-Ginza, Tokyo.
http://hakkodo.tokyo/
