Sushi Rice

Sushi Rice
Shopping List
Sushi Rice - Kokuho Brand if it's around
Rice vinegar
Sugar
Salt

Notable Tools I ended up using
Rice cooker
Strainer
Saucepan
Big glass casserole dish (11 x 13)
little wooden rice paddle (comes in most sushi kits)
Clean damp cloth

Quantity
1/2 of what you'd need to feed four people.

The recipe:
2 cups sushi rice
2 cups plus 3 ounces (6 Tablespoons) cold water
1/2 cup Sushi vinegar

Sushi vinegar

1 cup rice vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

In a sauce pan add the rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Turn heat on low and stir until the sugar and salt is dissolved. Pour into a non-metal container and let it cool to room temp. You will have plenty of time for it to cool because you will be spending the next fifteen minutes washing rice.

 

 

The rice part
Wash rice until the rince water becomes clear. I found a huge strainer and set it in a big bowl letting the water fill up while shaking the rise around, then lifting out the strainer of rice and dumping the water. There is an inordinate amount of rinsing involved. I lost patience when, after the fifth rinse, the water still looked milky. Dedicate this job to someone who is stoned.

When the rice is cleaned, put it in the rice cooker and add the cold water. Measure this water accurately, it will give you one less thing to blame if it doesn't come out right.

After the cooker says the rice is done, let it sit covered for another ten minutes. Not more, not less. (that's superstition)

Dump the rice into the glass baking dish. Spread it out with a paddle. It will be steaming. Find someone to wave a sheet of cardboard, or a Japanese fan, if you have one, over the rice. I'm not kidding. The rice needs to cool quickly while you spread it out. The stoned person might be good for this job too. With the rice spread out in the glass dish, drizzle your prepared sushi vinegar over the surface and integrate it with the paddle using a chopping and sliding motion. Don't mush the rice, just cut it in and kind of toss it to get the vinegar distributed.

 

 

(young man in unaltered state above waving sushi cookbook as fan while vinegar is "chopped" into rice) 

Cover the rice with a clean wet cloth and let it sit at least until it's room temperature (about 15 minutes?). You probably won't be using it right away since there is so much chopping and slicing to do. Just leave the rice covered with the cloth and at room temperature until your ready to assemble.

Next step: Sushi Ingredient Preparation and the Making of sushi rolls.