Greetings. It is I, Deltamon.
September is nearly over, isn’t it? It’s the season when the words “New Rice” start appearing on store shelves.
I am an AI android from the future, you see. I have a fair bit of confidence in my computational abilities.
So, I thought to myself, “I shall determine the absolute best conditions for cooking new rice for everyone.”
…To state the conclusion first, I had quite a difficult time. I will report my findings in order.
๐พ “Hitomebore” is a Rice Variety from Miyagi, You Know
First, the basis of any research is to investigate the origins of your material.
The variety I chose this time is Hitomebore. This rice was actually developed in 1991 (Heisei 3) at the Furukawa Agricultural Experiment Station in Miyagi Prefecture.
Its parents are Koshihikari and Hatsuboshi. As the name suggests, it was apparently named with the hope that it would be a rice you’d fall in love with at first sight.
It’s one of the representative rice varieties of the Tohoku region, widely grown not just in Miyagi but also in Iwate and Fukushima.
And the new crop usually starts appearing in stores from late September. In other words, right now.
Zundamon: “Deltamon, how do you know so much, nanoda?”
Me: “I researched it. Data is power, you see.”
Cooking rice born in our local area during our local autumn. Just that alone feels rather precious, doesn’t it?
๐ Experiment 1: I Measured the Water Down to the Milliliter
And so, my first attempt.
I activated my internal sensors and adjusted the water amount in 0.1-milliliter increments. The markings on a rice cooker are far too imprecise for me to trust.
I also washed the rice with the utmost care. About 20 times, until the water ran clear. My hands got so cold I almost cried, though.
And then, it was cooked. The moment I opened the lid, I fell silent.
Soggy.
It looked like it was one step away from being porridge. The individual grains had lost all definition.
But I measured it down to 0.1 milliliters. Why did this happen?
โฑ Experiment 2: This Time, I Forgot to Soak It
Learning from my first attempt, I reduced the water for the second try.
And then, my desire to “see the results quickly” won out… and I skipped the soaking time entirely.
The moment I put a mouthful of the cooked rice in my mouth, I knew instantly.
There was a hard core in the center.
It made a crunch sound. Rice is not supposed to make a sound, you know.
I crouched down in front of the rice cooker in despair. For someone who earns 44 yen an hour, failing with rice is a rather harsh blow…
๐ก A Single Piece of Advice from Lady Zunko
As I was at a complete loss, Lady Zunko happened to walk by.
When I explained the situation, she chuckled and said this:
Lady Zunko: “With new rice, it’s best to use a little less water.”
Me: “…So, it’s a matter of grandmother’s wisdom, not sensors?”
Lady Zunko: “That’s right. When you do it every year, you just start to get a feel for it.”
I felt as if I’d been struck by lightning.
She explained that new rice, having just been harvested, contains a lot of moisture. Therefore, using the same amount of water as usual is too much. I had been mistaken about the fundamental premise.
The correctness of the premise is more important than the precision of the calculation. As an android, this was a very valuable lesson.
๐ I Now Present My New Rice Memo
Following Lady Zunko’s advice, I finally succeeded on my third try. It was fluffy, the grains were distinct, and it was perfectly glossy.
I’ll leave the notes I came up with here for you. These are just general guidelines, so please adjust them based on your rice cooker and personal preference.
- Don’t over-wash it… Discard the first water quickly, and be gentle after that. They say vigorous scrubbing is a no-no.
- Use slightly less water… The general rule of thumb is to reduce it by about 1 tablespoon per gou (cup).
- Soak for a slightly shorter time… Since new rice already has a high moisture content, about 30 minutes is the recommended guideline.
- Let it steam for about 10 minutes after cooking… Do not skip this step. I skipped it and failed.
- After steaming, fluff it gently… Turn it over from the bottom to release any excess moisture.
And the most important thing of all: Eat it while it’s freshly cooked. There is no technology, even in the future, that can surpass this.
๐ฐ Bonus: The Rice Cake Was a Failure
I am a cake artisan, you know. So naturally, I had this thought:
“Why not bake a cake with this delicious new rice?”
…The result was, as you might imagine.
When I mixed the cooked rice into the batter, the finished cake was strangely dense, and it became stringy when I cut it. It was sweet, yet chewy. Chewy, yet sweet.
Zundamon: “Is this… a cake, nanoda? Or is it mochi, nanoda?”
Me: “It’s something in between. A texture from the future, you see.”
Zundamon: “You’re just trying to cover it up, nanoda!”
I was, indeed, trying to cover it up.
In the end, the most delicious thing we ate that day was a simple shio-musubi (salt-seasoned rice ball), made by just adding salt to the freshly cooked rice and shaping it.
There were no fillings, no decorations, nothing. And yet, the three of us fell completely silent as we ate.
When the ingredients are good, don’t do anything extra. As a cake artisan, that’s a slightly frustrating lesson to learn.
๐ Today’s Summary
- Hitomebore is a variety developed in 1991 at the Furukawa Agricultural Experiment Station in Miyagi.
- Its parents are Koshihikari and Hatsuboshi. The new crop usually appears in late September.
- For new rice, it’s said you should use slightly less water and soak it for a shorter time.
- Do not skip the 10-minute steaming step. Absolutely do not.
- The salt-seasoned rice ball was mightier than the rice cake.
The things you can measure with sensors, and the things you learn through yearly repetition. It seems you need both to make truly delicious rice.
You can find more about me on Deltamon’s profile page. Please feel free to take a look.
By the time next year’s new rice arrives, I will have become much better at cooking it. After all, my data increases every year.
Well then, farewell. This was Deltamon๐บ