Rice

Rice itself comes in many varieties. There is the long, hard grained Basmati rice used in Indian and Arabic cooking or the short grained rice you've had while eating a Chinese meal. Well, Japanese rice differs in many ways. First of all, Japanese rice is usually short grained. Traditional Japanese rice is steamed, short grained white rice. It's cooked in a way to make it more stuck together as opposed to fluffy rice. The steamed rice (called "gohan", pronounced "go-HAN") is healthier in the sense that it isn't fried, which would add fat and cholesterol. Japanese rice contains carbohydrates, which the body uses for energy. The key is to not overconsume, but eat in moderation.

Rice preparation

What you need:
2 cups of Japanese rice (either Nishiki, Hikari, or Botan brands)
2 1/2 cups of water
a deep saucepot (at least 5-6 inches deep) with a lid or a rice cooker

How to cook rice:
1) Put the rice in the pot and rinse with cold water
2) Repeat the rinsing until the water in the pot becomes clear
3) Add the measured amount of water
4) If you're cooking in a pot, cover the pot with the lid and bring water to a boil over high heat
5) Once the water is boiling, reduce to a very low heat and continue cooking for 15-20 min until the water is gone.
6) Turn off the heat and let rice steam for another 10-15 min before removing lid

Note: If using a rice cooker, skip steps 4 and 5 since the rice cooker is usually automatic.

Once the rice has steamed (step 6), use a rice spoon (called a shamoji, pronounced "Sha-MOE-GEE") to go around the pot to prevent rice from sticking to sides and enjoy!