Preparation

• Wash the rice well by putting it in a bowl and covering it with cool water. Swish the rice around with your hand until the water gets cloudy. Drain and repeat until the water gets only slightly cloudy; usually it takes about three rinses.
• Drain the rice, put it in a small (1-qt) metal bowl, and stir in 1 cup cold water and the salt, if using. Fit a rack or steaming trivet into a pot large enough to accommodate the bowl. Pour about an inch of water into the pot. Put the bowl of rice on the rack (it shouldn’t touch the water in the pot), cover the pot, and bring the water in the pot to a boil over high heat. As soon as the water in the pot begins to boil, set a timer for 25 minutes and reduce the heat to maintain a steady amount of steam. When the timer goes off, take the pot off the heat and use tongs or a hot pad to remove the hot bowl from the pot. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.