This beautiful rice donabe is hand crafted by pottery artist Ichishiro Nakagawa in Shiga Prefecture from a design co-developed with Michiko Matsuda. Like all products in Matsuda-san's Jizai Dougu collection, this rice donabe has been uniquely designed to reflect the lessons and wisdom she has gained over more than three decades as a cooking teacher. Matsuda-san has thoughtfully updated traditional rice-cooking donabe design, enhancing both function and performance. For example, the lid’s heavier weight - nearly 1kg (2.2 lbs) - allows the donabe to function almost like a pressure cooker, according to Matsuda-san. She and Nakagawa-san also relocated the lid's steam vent from the traditional side location to the middle, a simple change that improves air circulation during cooking. This donabe also features thicker walls than a traditional rice donabe, which Matsuda-san says results in more pronounced, cleaner flavors. The rice it produces is especially toothsome and delicious.

We love how substantial it feels when you pick it up. And the deep brown glaze is incredibly eye-catching. This is an exceptional piece of pottery.

Safe for use on gas burners, in ovens, and in the microwave.

Product Details:

• Pot: 8¾" in diameter x 6¼" in height (22.2cm x 16cm)
• Lid: 7" in diameter x 1¾" in height (17.8cm x 4.5cm)
• Crafted in Shiga Prefecture

What follows are Jizai Dougu’s Instructions translated from the original Japanese:

Are you eating delicious rice?

Rice is essential on our tables.

Culinary expert Michiko Matsuda thought, “I wish there were a pot like…”, “It would be nice….", and the potter Ichishiro Nakagawa made her wish come true with his craftsmanship and sensibility.

Thank you for purchasing our clay pot. Potter Ichishiro’s clay pots can be used immediately after washing. Because the clay pots breathe, they make food even more delicious. Over time, food stains and other residue may cause discoloration and leakage of dark liquid from the donabe. To resolve this issue, simply boil water in the donabe, discard the water and repeat a few times. This simple procedure will restore the donabe.

As this clay pot is fired up at a high temperature, the glaze will not melt, and no materials and ingredients are harmful to humans, so it is safe for your use.

Please note, if the clay pot is wet, it may collect mold, so dry it thoroughly before storing it. Also, handle it with care because clay pots can break if they hit a hard surface or are dropped.

Enjoy it for many years to come.

This clay pot rice cooker can cook three cups of rice without hassle or worry because of its cylindrical shape and heavy lid that weighs 1kg, creating pressure to cook fluffy rice.

How to cook delicious rice

• Add stream of water to 3 cups of rice, mix thoroughly, and remove the rice bran smell.
• For each cup of rice, stir 10 times, soak for 10 minutes, and drain for 15 minutes. This allows the water to be absorbed into the center of the rice.
• Add the same amount of water and cook over high heat for about 5 minutes until it starts to bubble.
• Once it starts to bubble, reduce the heat to low, rotate the rice at the bottom to the top, and cook for 7 to 8 minutes. (This recipe makes 3 cups, but for 2 cups of rice, cook for 5 minutes. For 1 cup of rice, cook for 3 minutes. Your rice will turn out delicious.)
• When the water in the pot has evaporated, turn off the heat and steam for about 7 minutes, then it will be ready to eat.