Turn your Tupperware into a rice cooker with this simple cooking hack from Japan.
Not everyone in Japan owns a rice cooker, and some smaller apartments don’t even have a stovetop, but according to cling film and Tupperware manufacturer Asahi Kasei, if you’ve got a microwave and a Ziploc container, you’ll be able to make a convenient serving of rice at home.
These types of unconventional how-to guides are always good to know about, especially in disaster-prone Japan, where tips like these can come handy in an emergency, so we decided to put Asahi Kasei’s theory to the test by trying it out ourselves.
▼ According to Asahi Kasei, a square 1,100 millilitre (37.2 ounce) Ziploc container is perfect for cooking one go (180 millilitres) of rice, which is equivalent to one serving.
Step 1: Wash the rice and add 200 millilitres of water. Leave it to soak for around 30 minutes.
Step 2: Cover lightly with the lid, at a bit of an angle to let out steam, and heat in the microwave at 500 Watts for eight minutes.
At this point, we realised the importance of using the large-sized Ziploc, because the water boils and rises right up to the top, which means it would spill over if you were to use a smaller sized container.
Step 3: Stir lightly once, then pop the lid on, lightly and at an angle again, and heat at 500 Watts for five minutes.
Step 4: Remove from the microwave, being careful if you use bare hands as the container will be very hot.
Step 5: Cover tightly with the lid and leave it to steam for 5-10 minutes.
Step 6: Remove from the container and eat!
All in all, the rice took about an hour to make, if you include the 30-minute soaking time, and it didn’t feel like an effort at all. In fact, if you were making something like vegetables to go with the rice, you could make it simultaneously and have all the cooking done in around 30 minutes.
Now we come to the big question: How did it taste?
Well, to be honest, the rice was a little on the hard side, but that could be fixed by adding a little more water or lengthening the soaking time, adjusting it each time until you get the right consistency with your microwave.
However, the taste was great, and the texture of the rice actually made it perfect for fried rice, so next time we try this, we’ll definitely be popping it in the pan with some oil and vegetables. And maybe we’ll add some steamed buns on the side as well, using this clever hack to get the perfect consistency in the microwave!
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[ Read in Japanese ]