Perfect Rice in the Microwave

This instructable will teach you how to make the perfect steamed sushi rice in your microwave!

Step 1 Gather Ingredients and Supplies

The first thing to do is to gather all the supplies and ingredients that you will need to make the rice.

Supplies:
Microwave Rice Cooker
You can get these any where really. I got mine at my local Asian food store for about $5USD.'
Rice Paddle
Generally comes with the cooker
Measuring Cup

Ingredients:
Sushi Grade Rice
Sushi grade rice works the best. The short grains stick together well after being cooked.
Water
What you cook rice with...
Seasoned Rice Vinegar
To season the rice

Comments

[supersabba]

ok thanks, that's nice but it doesn't make sense saying "10 minutes" if you don't tell us what temperature/Watt the microwaves should be tuned to, does it? I mean 10 minutes of microwave at 600 watt is not the same then at 1000 watt... thanks for the tutorial, anyway. enjoy the rice!

[Dansvidania]

I totally quote, how much power do you set?

[sojakai]

Typically, if they dont tell you what level to set it at, then its set to High/Full. They only tell you to set it to something else if you have to change it... My microwave doesnt even have a "Power" setting, its set to "High" automatically.

[Mrs. chan]

my teenager daughter always cook rice in teh microwave oven. For 2 cups of rice at 10 mins power at 80 degrees. at 8 mins stir the rice so that it will cook evenly. dont forget to lightly cover the bowl. so it take only 10 mins to cook the rice .My Microwave ia 1000watt.

[schnitzelboi]

I make my rice a lot simpler. Firstly, I just use a microwave-safe dish as a container. Then I add the rice along with 4 times as much water and some chicken broth/white vinegar. Nuke on high for 18 minutes. Perfection!

[TrueFaced]

Does increasing the amount of rice cooked increase the cooking time?

[picbuck]

Just an FYI. The reason you're not supposed to rinse rice is that it's been sprayed with vitamins. Sadly, when rice (and other grains) are milled the nutritious part goes to make animal feed, the tasty but not so nutritious part comes to us. In and around the 1930s this was found to be the cause of malnutrition in large parts of the population. School children were suffering from rickets and scurvy. So the government mandated that the vitamins had to be added back. With rice, this is done by simply spraying on a liquid vitamin solution. This is why rice, bread, milk, flour, and many other foods are called "vitamin enriched." It's the marketing department making virtue of necessity. Interesting world we live in, huh?

[Miss World]

Thank you :) I like this instructable!

[Oceanus]

I have made rice for 30 years and cannot express how easy it is. Back in the 70's I lived with a Vietnamese family. She showed me to rinse the rice; place the cup of rice into two cups of water in a pan; boil the rice in water for 2 minutes; reduce the heat to low; cover the pan and cook for 17 minutes. Perfect every time.

[moneymax]

Step 3. Rinse the rice. My mom used to rinse the rice and I always wondered why. I asked my Cajun friend why people rinsed the rice and he told me it was because they used to get the rice straight from the field and had to wash the debris away prior to cooking now it comes in bags from the store and it is already rinsed. I have one of those rice cookers and I love it. Thanks for the tips.

[Gonazar]

It's to get rid of impurities, I always rinse once, no matter what brand. Don't rinse too much though because you may lose the starch (cloudy white stuff) that is required to cook it. you may also lose the vitamins in it as well. Thanks for the instructable!, was busy with the sushi ball one but had trouble with the rice, you really helped me out, thanks! :D

[moris_zen]

man - u waited 30 before - then cook for 10 and then another 10 . I can make rice much fatser then 50 min without the nooker.

[rolltiderusty]

Everyone's confusion at why someone would do this may be due to inexperience. Having bought two of these I now know that you cannot just put the it in the microwave and get positive results. Until you have used these little cookers you won't find out how they "almost" make good rice. Many of the first batches were not fully cooked or tasted overcooked when I tried to add a little water and cook them a little more. My guess is that the soaking of the rice probably increases the width of your acceptable rice window. Letting the rice soak in some of the steam after cooking probably also helps. Now maybe I can stop watching my rice like a hawk for 20 minutes over the stove. Even though it will take longer, I can be doing something else and not worrying about it overcooking. So I guess I am saying thanks for information.

[Robyntheslug]

This would have been great when I was in college apartments and with no stove =)
I'm sure plenty will find this useful.

[dchall8]

I appreciate any attempt to make rice even simpler than it already is, but you've taken a process that normally takes 20 minutes on the stove top and shortened it into 50 minutes...and it takes just as much water...and I only have to buy and store one more oversized pot in my kitchen. Is there an advantage to this method that you might have left out? Why would I want to do this?

[trebuchet03]

I think you're right.... Sorta -- David never said it was more simple or better than another method... which, it really isn't unless you're like me and can't make rice to save your own life :p

[daveizoid]

I don't really think that there is really an advantage, and I never really thought about it until you mentioned it just now. I guess it is just an alternative to people who want to make the sticky sushi rice and don't have an electric rice cooker or a lot of space to cook in.

[dchall8]

And then there are the people in really small apartments who don't have room for a cooktop but do have a microwave (my mother is one of those).

[Tobita]

I'd rather have a toaster oven, i HATE microwaves.

[jaysbob]

thats an interesting instructable idea. how to make rice in a toaster oven!

[silliou]

I really like this. We just moved house and dont have a decent hotplate, so we have to cook rice in the microwave. Thanks Daveizoid