How to Make Instant Rice Using a Microwave

When you think of Japan, you have to think of rice! Many foreigners discover how truly tasty rice is, during their visit to Japan.

However, there are countries where rice is difficult to get, or they don't have a rice cooker to make your rice. There are cases where you can't eat delicious rice once you leave Japan. This is an issue, even for some Japanese going overseas.

That is why we'd like to introduce you to "instant rice", which you can make anywhere in the world, with just a microwave. In Japan, rice that is cooked in hot water is called "gohan". Instant rice is commonly eaten even in Japan, simply due to the fact that all you have to do, is heat it up for 2 minutes in the mircrowave.

You can keep it for several months, so you don't need to consume it the moment you return to your country. It also makes for great souvenirs.

photo by pixta

Like the image above, it's individually packaged for one serving, so it is great for those living alone, or even for a midnight snack.

There are two ways of cooking instant rice. You can heat it in the microwave, or put it in a pot of hot water. Let's try the microwave method this time.

Step 1. Remove a bit of the cover

First, before putting the package into the microwave, peel the film covering the lower left corner up to the indicated dots. The green area in the photo is indicated up to where it needs to be removed. At this point, you do not need to remove the entire cover.

If you don't remove it, there is a risk of the cover exploding while heating in the microwave, so please be careful. When you heat it in hot water, do not remove the plastic film.

Step 2. Heat it in the microwave

photo by pixta

Now just pop it in the microwave, set the designated time and press the button! However, depending on the power of your microwave, you may not be able to make the rice in the indicated time. The approximated time is based off of the average Japanese microwaves at 500-600 watts. Please adjust the heating time according to the watts written on your microwave.

It's already starting to smell really good.

Step 3. Take it out of the microwave, and remove the cover

Take it out from the microwave and remove the cover. The container is very hot after the heating process, so please hold the edges to prevent any burns.

Step 4. Eat it While it's Hot!

Your steaming hot rice is ready. The softness makes it almost hard to believe you only heated it in the microwave.

Have some miso soup to accompany your rice or even have it as a rice porridge with tea. Both are sold as processed instant foods and can be purchased in convenience stores or supermarkets. Arrange the instant foods wisely to enjoy your Japanese foodie life!

Also See: Three ‘Chinmi (珍味)’ s from Japanese Supermarkets that Goes Well with White Rice