Hitomebore Premium Short Grain Rice

I've come to the realization that absolutely no one is reading my blog on rice. And it's a damn shame. Rice is soooo great! I digress, however, and will continue to blog about rice because it deserves no less.

Moving on.

Hitomebore Premium Short Grain rice is great. I like the texture and the taste. The water absorption is better than the other rice brands I've tested so far. Re-heating is also good. Overall, I give this rice a 7.

Taste = 8
Texture = 7
Absorption = 7
Reheating = 7

Tamanishiki Super Premium Short Grain Rice

So, we've come to the second in what will hopefully be a long line of rice reviews. I'm not so focused on how many people are actually reading this blog; I'm more interested in all the rice I get to eat in order to write it. So, without further ado.

Tamanishiki Super Premium Short Grain Rice.

They had me at Super Premium. If you're going to make a claim like that, you'd better back it up. And they did, but not really. The rice came out nice and fluffy. However, I would add a dash more water with this rice. I give it an A for color and taste - but I'm not giving out grades, but points. Also, the grains were more separated than other short grain varieties. This rice was like a great hybrid between jasmine and short. The only downside to this rice is that you have to eat it hot right out of the cooker. It doesn't reheat well. And that's a pretty fatal flaw if you ask me. It actually starts to harden into a dried piece of.....crap the second it starts to cool down. I love me some leftover rice so, for me, if it doesn't reheat well, there's no point in buying it again. And I was so excited when it came out of the rice cooker. Oh well.

Final Grade: 5 out of 10

5 points for taste, texture and separation right after cooking.

-5 points for horrible reheatability.

Miyabi-Koshikihari

My first actual rice review! So I bought a bag of Miyabi-Koshikihari short grain rice about a month and a half ago. Just to let you know: my family doesn't like short grain rice, only long grain Jasmine rice. I'm the only oddity in my family. Anyway, I've made the rice about seven times now. Each time I tried a different amount of water. I found that, in my rice cooker, 1.25:1 or 1.5:1 water to rice ratio makes the best rice.

The flavor is nice and mild with a hint of sweetness, which I like. The fluffiness (for lack of a better term) is about 5.6-6 on the rice scale - completely subjective fluffiness scale.

Off topic (slightly): I discovered something last night that blew my mind. A mix of short grain and long grain with a 1:1 ratio of water to rice made the most amazing rice I've ever eaten.

Overall score for Miyabi-Koshikihari: 7.5

I may change this score as I try more rice brands and establish a baseline for scoring.

Happy eating!

Tonkatsu

I love tonkatsu. But, like everything else, there's good and bad. I am usually spurred on to try my own recipe out after eating really good food. So here's my take on a very simple Japanese dish: Boneless Pork Loin Chops (as many as you like, but I usually do 4-5) - They should be no thicker than 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick (1 -1.5 cm) and about 5-6 ounces or else they'll take forever to cook thoroughly and you'll end up with a dry cutlet. Panko bread crumbs (any brand will do, use your favorite) - I don't have a set amount of crumbs, I dump a bunch out onto a plate and refill it if I need more. Garlic Salt Kosher Salt Fresh Ground Black Pepper Soy Sauce Beaten Egg(s) - depending on how many chops you have Flour - also depends on how many cutlets you have Vegetable oil for frying 1. Prepare the pork cutlets by lightly sprinkling both sides with garlic salt and pepper. 2. Set up your "manufacturing line" put flour, eggs and panko all on separate plates, in that order, with the hot oil on the stove waiting at the end of the line. If you have one, try using a shallow plate that has sides on it for the beaten eggs. 3. I like to flavor my flour, eggs and panko with a little seasoning. Do not overdo it. A little goes a long way. For the flour, I sprinkle a bit of garlic salt and mix it. For the eggs, I add pepper and a dash of soy sauce and beat them together. For the panko, I add a dash of kosher salt. 4. Heat about 1-2 fingers high of oil on med-high to high heat in a deep frying pan. 5. Make some small cuts on the fat side of each chop, 1-2 should be good. This will prevent the cutlet from curling up when you are frying it. Now, take each chop, lightly dip into the flour and shake off any excess. Then dip into the beaten egg and cover the chop completely. Finally, dip into the panko crumbs and cover completely. Put the chop into the frying pan immediately to prevent the crumbs from becoming soggy. Repeat for each chop. If your eggs become too thick from the flour, just add another egg to thin it out. Each chop should be cooked well done, about 5-7 minutes each side (less if the chops are thinner). For deep fryers, you'll have to follow the manufacturer's suggestions on cooking times. 6. Serve with whatever you want (I like rice and broccoli) and enjoy! P.S.- Tonkatsu is traditionally served on a bed of raw, finely shredded cabbage, with rice, miso soup and possibly some kind of root vegetable in a bento. Also, katsu sauce is available pre-made from most Asian markets and some adventurous non-Asian markets. Tonkatsu is also often paired with curry. I don't like sauce on my tonkatsu, but most people do. Bon apetit!

Introduction: My New Rice Blog

So, I searched the internet for recommendations and reviews of rice, but was sadly disappointed. So I decided to start my own! Please join me as I scour the supermarkets for different types and brands of rice and review them based on several factors. Below I am listing my "control" factors such as the type/brand of rice cooker, cooking methods, etc. For the most part, if the manufacturer provides suggested cooking directions, I will follow those. If no directions are provided, I will use the 1:1 rule (i.e. x amount of water for x amount of rice). I realize that the amount of water to cook short grain vs. long grain differs; I will be as scientific as possible so that the resulting cooked rice will be as tasty as possible. Method: 1. Rice Cooker is the Zojirushi model [checking on this]. 2. I use Brita filtered water. 3. 1 cup = 8 0z. 4. Rice is bought at retail price at any Asian and/or regular supermarket. 5. Average temperature in my house varies from 60 - 90 F (winter - summer). 6. Cooking directions are per manufacturer specifications. 7. If there are no manufacturer specifications, then a 1:1 ratio will be used. 8. I soak the rice in the filtered water (after washing until the water runs clear) for about 12 minutes before cooking it. I also allow the rice to "settle" on warm for about ten minutes before popping open the rice cooker lid. 9. I will use the stovetop cooking method if that is what the manufacturer suggests, otherwise, I will be lazy and use the rice cooker. 10. Rice will be rated on the following factors: texture, taste, water absorption (this will be visual and by taste - I don't actually have any equipment to measure absorption), manufacturer claims vs. reality and how well it re-heats. Note: if I find a better way to cook the rice so it turns out tastier, I will post that. Additionally, I will add images that are relevant to the post. In addition to my own testing, if I have exceptionally tasty rice (or exceptionally bad rice) at a restaurant, I will post that as well. I'm located in southern California, so restaurants will typically be within the southern California area. Also, I Yelp, so restaurant reviews probably won't be on here unless it was so smackin good that it deserves to be in two places. I invite you, if you're interested, to come along on my personal journey in search of the perfect rice. -T Disclaimer: These are based on my personal opinions and tastes and I am not endorsing any particular brand nor do I have any affiliation with any of the manufacturers mentioned in this blog.