Perhaps the easiest way to cook white rice is to let it cook in a rice cooker. While you still have to wash the rice manually, the rice cooker handles the rest automatically. What ingredients can you add to a rice cooker to make it incredibly fragrant and delicious?

What ingredients can you add to a rice cooker to make it incredibly delicious?

No. 5: Cooking sake

This trick works best with old rice that’s been sitting around for a while! Compared to new rice, old rice tends to lose its aroma and even take on a slightly unrecognizable flavor (it’s not spoiled). Adding cooking sake to the rice can solve this problem. Furthermore, adding cooking sake makes the rice fluffier and more delicious.

For every 1 cup (approximately 150g) of rice, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of sake (sake or rice wine) to the rice. Be careful not to add too much, as the flavor of the sake will overpower the rice.

4th Place: Salt

Adding a little salt to white rice enhances its sweetness and makes the rice grains moist yet chewy. Adding too much salt will make the rice too salty. For every 2 cups of rice (approximately 300g), use a pinch of salt between your index finger and thumb.

If you want to make onigiri, you can increase the amount of salt. Use 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of salt per 2 cups of rice (approximately 300g).

3rd Place: Broth

To enhance the flavor of your rice, add broth. While commercially available broth powder and water are sufficient, homemade broth is even more delicious.

When cooking rice in a rice cooker, adjust the amount of water from just water to a combination of water and broth. The amount of broth you add is up to your discretion; some prefer a light aroma, while others prefer a richer flavor.

No. 2: Ice Cubes

Adding ice cubes to rice will slightly increase the cooking time and slow down the temperature rise. This also gives the enzymes responsible for producing sweetness in the rice more time to break down. The result is a sweet and chewy rice! Simply add 1 to 3 regular-sized ice cubes to every 1 cup of rice (approximately 150g).

No. 1: Konbu (Kelp)

Konbu, known for its umami flavor, is often cooked in a rice cooker with rice in Japanese restaurants. The amount of konbu you need isn’t much; 5g for every 3 cups of rice (approximately 450g) is enough. Simply toss it on top of the rice without mixing it in. Don’t throw away the kombu after cooking the rice; you can reuse it in hot pot or other suitable soups.