How to Cook Japanese Short-Grain Brown Rice in a Rice Cooker
Learn how to cook Japanese short-grain brown rice in a rice cooker (pot on the stove option included). Follow my rice-to-water ratio tips to make perfectly steamed brown rice every time. No more mushy or dry rice!
Ingredients
For 4 Rice Bowls
- 1½ cups uncooked Japanese short-grain brown rice (2 rice cooker cups; 360 ml)
- 2½ cups water (600 ml)
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For 6 Rice Bowls
- 2¼ cups uncooked Japanese short-grain brown rice (3 rice cooker cups; 540 ml)
- 3¾ cups water (900 ml)
- ¾ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For 8 Rice Bowls
- 3 cups uncooked Japanese short-grain brown rice (4 rice cooker cups; 720 ml)
- 5 cups water (1200 ml)
- 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Instructions
Before You Start...
- DO NOT scale this recipe (x 2 or x 3); measurements are based on the rice-cooker cup. Cook at least 2–3 rice-cooker cups for better flavor and texture, as larger batches allow heat and steam to circulate better, yielding uniform, tender, slightly sticky grains.
- Japanese short-grain brown rice needs 6–12 hours of soaking. The rice-to-water ratio is 1 to 1.6 (or 1.7) for brown rice by volume. See Recipe Notes below for details.
To Wash the Rice
- Measure: Overfill a US ¾-cup or rice-cooker cup with uncooked short-grain rice, level it off, and place it in a large bowl. Repeat until you have the needed amount (here, 3 rice-cooker cups / 2¼ cups / 540 ml).
- Quick Rinse: Add enough water to cover the rice, then drain immediately. Repeat once. Nami's tip: This removes impurities and keeps the rice from absorbing the first milky rinse water.
- Wash and Rinse: Gently rub the wet rice in a circular motion for 10–15 seconds with minimal water. This lets the grains scrub each other and limits absorption of impurities from the milky water. Add water and drain immediately, and repeat once.
- Repeat Wash and Rinse two more times.
- Drain: When the water is almost clear, drain well. Nami's tip: Use a fine-mesh sieve and shake off any excess water. Transfer the drained rice to the rice-cooker pot (I use the Zojirushi IH).
To Soak the Rice
- Add the measured water* and salt (here, 900 ml water and ¾ tsp salt for 3 rice cooker cups). Level the rice so it’s evenly submerged. *The water must not be warm or hot.
- Mix and level the rice so it’s evenly submerged. Place the inner pot in the cooker and soak for 6 hours or overnight.
To Cook and Steam the Rice
- Select the Brown Rice program on your rice cooker and press Start. (On my Zojirushi, this program includes 10 minutes of soaking and 10 minutes of steaming, for a total of 83 minutes.) If your cooker doesn’t include steaming, let the rice rest for 10 minutes after cooking. Then open the lid—you should see small steam holes on the surface.
- Stovetop method (optional): In a heavy pot, cook the rice uncovered over high heat until boiling. Stir, reduce to low, cover tightly, and cook for 30 minutes. Then let it steam, covered, for another 30 minutes.
To Serve
- Fluff the rice with a rice paddle. Insert the rice paddle vertically, scoop up the rice from the bottom, then slice it to “fluff“ the rice. Remember to fluff the rice using a slicing motion.
- Serve and enjoy!
To Store
- Transfer rice to airtight containers, close the lid to retain moisture, and cool completely before freezing. Read this post for details.
Notes
- 1 rice cooker cup (180 ml) of uncooked brown rice weighs 5.3 oz (150 g).
- 1 US cup (240 ml) of cooked brown rice weighs about 5.3 oz (150 g).
- ¾ cup (150 g) uncooked Japanese short-grain brown rice
- 1¼ cups (300 ml) water
- This is enough for three onigiri (about 110 g each)
- 1½ cups (300 g) uncooked Japanese short-grain brown rice
- 2½ cups (600 ml) water
- 2¼ cups (450 g) uncooked Japanese short-grain brown rice
- 3¾ cups (900 ml) water
- 3 cups (600 g) uncooked Japanese short-grain brown rice
- 5 cups (1200 ml) water
- 3¾ cups (750 g) uncooked Japanese short-grain brown rice
- 6¼ cups (1500 ml) water
Nutrition
Calories: 272kcal, Carbohydrates: 57g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 0.4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 150mg, Potassium: 201mg, Fiber: 3g, Calcium: 29mg, Iron: 1mg
