my comfort food...

Everyone's comfort food is different. When I first arrived in Sydney with a backpack, I did a home stay with a Lebanese family for a month. It's not that I didn't like their food, but after eating BBQ meat, tabouli and homus everyday for two weeks, I really missed my Japanese food. I never thought I would miss Ume Onigiri (rice ball with pickled plum in the middle) and green tea so much. It's so simple but I couldn't get it anywhere. At the end of the 80s in Sydney, there were hardly any Japanese grocers in town (now you have no problem finding them). I found a little Japanese grocer in a corner of Circular Quay (they closed a long time ago), I bought some green tea, Umeboshi (pickled plums) and rice. That was the start of my Japanese cooking adventure a long way from home in a strange town.

How to cook Japanese style rice & make Onigiri
(rice balls) Makes: for two people

You will need:

•   A pot with a lid. (an earthen pot or heavy-based
  Stainless steel pot is recommended)
•  1 cup (220g) short grain rice
  (will make 4 rice balls)
  (Japanese style rice is recommended,
  Koshihikari, Sunrice Sushi rice.etc)
• Water (same weight of the rice after washed
  and drained)
•  A cooking timer
• A scale

Method:
Measure 1 cup of rice (220g).
Wash rice in a bowl (if you use a earthen pot, never wash rice in it.  It may crack while cooking), keep washing the rice in the bowl until the water becomes clear (use your both hands to rub rice). Drain the rice with a strainer and leave rice in the strainer for 20 minutes* ^ (do not soak rice in water).
Weigh the drained rice
(you will find rice is much heavier than when it is dry).
And use the same amount of water for cooking the rice.

* Adjustment: Add extra 1 tablespoon of water when you are cooking small amount and remove 1 tablespoon of water for bigger amount- do experiment and find the perfect measure yourself). Pour drained rice and the measured water in a pot and put lid on.
Turn the gas stove on high (if you are using a electric stove,
it is much harder to control the heat),
Set a timer for 10 minutes (keep an eye on the pot).
Once it starts boiling, turn the heat down straight away
(if you are using electric stove, remove from the heat and start minimum heat using another hotplate), then set a timer and cook a further 7 to 8 minutes in the pot (never, never open the lid). Once you can smell a roasting smell then turn it of, even under the set time. Leave the pot for further 10 minutes without heat. Let rice steam for a while after being cooked. Now you can open the lid for first time, use a ladle to turn rice to aerate. It’s ready to eat.

Tips:

• It depends on how much rice you are cooking.
  Adjust each time to suit your cooking.
• Never leave the pot.
• You need to have a few practices to get perfect rice.
• Don't give up!

* When I cook 3 cups, I leave rice to drain for 30 minuets in summer, 1 hour in winter.
^ You can also wash rice in the morning and drain water and keep rice in a pot with lid.
Keep it in the fridge until you cook in the evening.

Making Onigiri (rice balls) Makes: 4 medium size Onigiri

You will need:

• A cup of cooked rice
• Salt
• 2 Nori (seaweed) sheets, cut in half
• Rice seasoning, Japanese plums, Baked salmon (optional)

Scoop the rice out from the cooked pot, transfer to a bowl
(wet inside the bowl to prevent sticking too much).
It has to be done while rice is hot.
Divide rice in four (easier to make even-sized onigiri).
Wet your hands, put salt on your one side of wet palm.
Scoop one lot of rice and start making a form with pressing hand together.
If you want to put in ingredients, do it before you are
forming a shape.
Once you made a shape, then wrap nori sheet around.
Eat while it warm.
For left overs, wrap it in Gladwrap.
You can always heat it up in a microwave later.