Rice to meet you!

An irreplaceable part of Japanese cooking is its use of rice, from Sushi to Omelette rice and even mochi or Sake. Rice plays an integral part in many Japanese staples. This year the rice prices soared due to many crops being damaged by Typhoons. But the price has fallen back to normal now.

Every household has a rice cooker here and me included. I first bought a rice cooker back in university and soon found it to be very useful for more than just plain rice. Rice cookers come in standard or fancy and the fancier the rice cooker the more you can do. If you get yourself a rice cooker with a steamer setting you are literally winning the rice cooker game. Because that steamer setting can open a world of deep-dish pizza and more.

But let’s look at the standard rice cooker and some of the things I have started making in mine. The first recipe I was very happy with was fried rice of different sorts. You can throw onions, beansprouts, tomatoes, and more into the rice and you already have a jazzed-up dish. But with five minutes on the pan, you can level up to varying fried rice dishes. One dish I was very excited to try out was KFC fried chicken. This one worked a treat, and my house smelled amazing for a few days. But just by adding two pieces of The Colonel’s chicken you can create one hell of a dish. I added chicken stock, onions, and various spices to kick things up a notch.

I have been hunting for more things to make in the rice cooker and now have a small folder full of recipes. But the possibilities are endless you just need to get a touch creative.

Japanese rice is something I enjoy eating; it can be as simple as onigiri or as fun as a katsu. Having a rice cooker in my home is something I will keep even once this journey is completed.