Japanese Rice

Japanese rice is medium-grained and is known
as sticky rice.






What You Need:
・2 cups Japanese-style rice
・2 1/2 cups water
・Pan/Rice Cooker

CookerHere's How:
1. Put the rice in a bowl and wash with cold water.
2. Repeat washing until the water becomes clear.
3. Drain the rice in a colander and set aside.
4. Place the rice in a pan or rice cooker and add water.
5. Use just enough water to cover the rice -- don't fill the entire pot.
6. Let the rice soak in the water at least 30 min. One hour is ideal.
7. If you are cooking the rice in a pan, cover the pan with a lid and bring to a boil over high heat.
8. Once the water boils, turn the heat down very low and cook about 15-20 min.
until the water is almost gone.
9. Remove the pan from the heat and let it steam for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Tips:
1. If you are using an electric rice cooker, you don't have to worry about adjusting the heat.
You still need to let the cooked rice steam before you open the lid.
2. Japanese rice gets sticky when it is cooked.
The long-grained American rice isn't proper for Japanese cooking,
because it is drier and doesn't stick together well.

Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki is a mixture between pancake and pizza.
"Okonomi" means "as you like".
This refers to the ingredients.





Dough:
・300 g flour
・210 ml water
・2 eggs
・Cabbage

Possible ingredients to put into/onto Okonomiyaki：
・Katsuobushi*: Dried, shaved benito (katsuo)
・Aonori*: Green, dried seaweed.
・Leek or green onion
・Beef: thinly sliced or ground
・Pork: thinly sliced or ground
・Chicken: breast filets
・Octopus*
・Squid*
・Prawn
・Tuna
・Mushrooms　and much more...

Sauces：
・Brown okonomiyaki sauce*
・Mayonnaise

* May not be available in Western supermarkets;
but you should be able to find it in Japanese grocery stores that exist in most large
European and American cities.

Preparation:
1. Cut four large, green cabbage leaves without the hard, white core in thin strings (ca. 4 mm).
2. Mix the water, flour, eggs and the cabbage strings together.
3. You may now add more ingredients to the dough: e.g. seafood, cut in little pieces, ground meat, cut mushrooms, etc.
4. Fry the dough like a pancake in a small frying pan.
5. Before turning the okonomiyaki over, and while the dough is still quite soft, you may put other ingredients on top of the dough.
6. Turn the okonomiyaki.
7. When fried well, serve the okonomiyaki with katsuobushi, aonori, mayonnaise and okonomiyaki sauce.

General information:
Depending on the region of Japan, okonomiyaki is prepared in various different styles.In Hiroshima, which is especially well known for its Okonomiyaki, it is served with or on top of Yakisoba (fried noodles).