Crispy Rice: Why the Rice Has to Be Cold First

Crispy rice is on almost every modern Japanese menu in New York, and about half of them are soggy. The difference is not the fryer. It is what the rice was doing for the several hours before it got anywhere near oil.

The Part Everyone Gets Wrong

Freshly cooked rice is full of water held inside gelatinised starch. Put that in oil and the water has to leave before the surface can brown, so the outside steams instead of frying and you get a pale, greasy block that goes limp on the plate.

Cooked rice that has been cooled does something useful. The starch molecules that swelled and spread during cooking begin to realign and push water out, which is called retrogradation. It is the same process that makes cold rice go firm and slightly dry in the fridge, and it is the reason every fried rice recipe tells you to use yesterday's.

For crispy rice it does two things. The block holds its shape instead of falling apart, and the surface is dry enough to brown immediately. You get a hard, blistered crust and an interior that is still soft and chewy, which is the entire point of the dish.

Sushi rice makes it better again, because it is already seasoned with vinegar, sugar and salt. The sugar accelerates browning and the vinegar keeps the whole thing from tasting flat under a rich topping.

Ours

Crispy fried sushi rice, five pieces to an order, topped with either spicy tuna or yellowtail, with a yuzu wasabi sauce.

It used to be two separate dishes on our menu and we combined them, because they were the same dish with a different fish on top and splitting them just made the menu longer.

Pick the spicy tuna if you want the richer one. It is soft and creamy against the crust, and the heat builds rather than hits.

Pick the yellowtail if you want the sharper one. Hamachi is leaner and firmer, and the yuzu wasabi has room to do something. Wasabi heat is volatile and goes up your nose rather than sitting on your tongue, so it clears out fast and leaves the citrus behind.

The Contrast Is the Dish

Hot and cold, hard and soft, rich and sharp. Every part of it is set against another part, which is why it eats well as a first thing rather than sitting heavy.

Have it with something carbonated and cold. A beer or a highball resets your palate between pieces. A sake or shochu with a bit of body also works if you would rather match the richness than cut it.

Note that it is marked with an asterisk on our menu, which means it contains raw fish.