What is sushi rice?
We use Japanese short grain rice Koshikari to make sushi. Try and buy a Japanese brand if possible, from an Asian store. Most grocery stores sell “sushi rice” which will work but like all things, better quality ingredients will mean better sushi.
Rice is arguably the most important ingredient in sushi. If you’re ever watched the documentary “Jiro dreams of sushi” you’ll know that famous sushi chef Jiro has his apprentices train for several years washing and cooking rice. I’m not sure you need that long to learn to make delicious rice at home but it definitely takes practice.
Make your rice seasoning
First up we need our seasoning mix. This mix gets poured over the cooked rice at the end and gives that tangy sweet flavour that we love.
Take a bowl and add 4 tablespoons of rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt. The sugar and salt can take a little time to dissolve so I generally make this first and periodically mix it while my rice cooks. By the time I need it, everything is dissolved and ready to use. Also, you can heat it up a bit if you are in a rush or forget to make it.
You can easily change the ratio of your rice seasoning. If you like sweeter or saltier rice, then feel free to add more sugar or salt etc. I find this mix isn’t too overpowering and gives a nice flavour without dominating the other ingredients.
Wash the rice
Next up we need to wash our rice. This is the most manual part of the rice cooking process and my least favourite. You need to wash your rice until the water runs clear. This gets rid of starch and helps give the consistency that we’re looking for. If you don’t wash your rice, you’ll end up with a gluggy sticky mess that will be difficult to work with.
So, measure 2 cups of sushi rice and add them to a medium saucepan or your rice cooker insert. Cover the rice with cold tap water and start mixing. You will see the water starts to turn a murky white pretty quickly. Swirl the rice around with your hand to release more and more of that starch. Once you’ve given it a good wash (30-60 seconds), tip off all of the water, add more cold tap water and start all over again.
You need to repeat this process until the water is pretty clear. This can take up to 4-8 times, depending on the rice. You can see in the photo below that the water is nearly clear.
Soak the rice
Next up we need to soak our rice. This is a really important step so don’t skip it, unless you’re short on time. Soaking helps the rice absorb water, which will in turn mean that all grains of rice should cook evenly. If you don’t soak your rice, some grains might be perfectly cooked while others are a little crunchy or overcooked. Our goal is uniform sexy rice that hold their shape.
Drain off the water from the previous step (washing the rice) and add 2 cups of fresh water, preferably filtered. Next up add 2 tbsp of sake. This is optional but adds another subtle layer of flavour. Then add a generous piece of kombu (10x15cm approximately) and let the whole thing soak for 30 minutes.
The kombu is also optional so if you can’t find any near you, feel free to skip this. It adds an earthy umami kind of flavour but your rice will still taste fine without it.
Hopefully you can see in the photo below that the grains of rice now look a lot whiter, thanks to the soaking! Remove your kombu, if you used it, and your rice is now ready to cook!
Cook the rice
Stove top: Put your saucepan on the stove top on medium high. Keep a close eye on it and once it starts to boil, put the lid on, lower the heat to low and cook it for 15 minutes. Do not open the lid or stir the rice during this step.
Rice cooker: Put your rice cooker on and let it do it’s thing!
Steam the rice
Stove top: After 15 minutes, take the saucepan off the heat and leave it to steam while still covered, for an additional 20 minutes. Do not take the lid off during this time! After 20 minutes, you may now remove the lid! Gently fluff the rice using a rice paddle or spoon. Put the lid back on and let it steam for an additional 5 minutes.
Rice cooker: Once your rice cooker is finished, gently fluff the rice using a rice paddle or spoon. Close the lid and let it steam for an additional 5 minutes.
Mix seasoning with rice
Now it’s time to use our rice seasoning mix – hopefully everything is dissolved. Tip your rice into a hangiri or a large flat bottomed plastic bowl – don’t use metal as it won’t let the rice cool down quickly enough. Spread the rice out as much as possible, covering the whole surface and pour the rice seasoning over the rice.
Gently stir the seasoning through using a rice paddle, or spoon, in a slicing gesture. Your aim is to mix through the seasoning thoroughly while helping the rice cool down as quickly as possible. Try not to break up or mass the grains, however do try to seperate the big lumps so the rice is as individual as possible – be gentle.
Cool the rice
To help the rice cool down quickly, stand in front a fan, AC unit or use a hand fan as you stir. Or if you live somewhere cold and it’s the middle of winter, stand outside for 5 minutes while you mix everything together. Keep stirring until the seasoning is mixed through and the rice looks shiny.
Each grain of rice should look glossy and still be intact – not smashed or broken up.
Wait until the rice has cooled to room temperature before using it. You can cover the hangiri / bowl with a damp towel so it doesn’t dry out.
Use the rice
Your rice is now ready to use! Use it make delicious hosomaki, futomaki, uramaki, nigiris or even sushi tacos. On the rare occasions that I have leftover rice, I use it to make poke bowls the next day.
Store any leftover rice in the fridge covered, so it does not dry out. I find it has a better consistency at room temperature so be sure to plan ahead and take it out an hour or so before you need it. We usually make poke bowls the next day!
Gobble gobble!
Sushi rice
Materials
Rice seasoning
- 4 tbsp Rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
Rice
- 2 cups Japanese short grain rice
- 2 cups Water (purified if possible)
- 2 tbsp Sake
- 1 piece Kombu (approximately 10cm x 15cm)
Instructions
Rice seasoning
- Mix all the ingredients together until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Mix it periodically as you wash, cook and steam the rice.
Wash the rice
- Add your rice to a medium saucepan or rice cooker insert and cover it with cold tap water. Swirl the rice around with your hand to release starches. The water will become milky white. Tip the water off, using your hand or a strainer, add more water and repeat the process 4-8 times until the water is pretty clear.
- Add 2 cups of water, preferably filtered, and 2 tbsp of sake (optional). Add a piece of kombu (also optional) and let the rice soak for 30 minutes. You will notice that the rice looks whiter at the end of the 30 minutes.
Cook the rice
Stove top:
- Take out the kombu and put the saucepan on the stove on medium high. Once the water comes to a boil, put the lid on, lower the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Do not open or stir the rice during this step.After 15 minutes, take the saucepan off the heat and let it sit with the lid still on for 20 minutes.
- Using a rice paddle or wooden spoon, gently mix your rice. Put the lid back on and let the rice steam for an additional 5 minutes.
Rice cooker
- Take out the kombu and put the insert into your rice cooker. Turn it on and let the rice cook.
- Using a rice paddle or wooden spoon, gently mix your rice. Close your rice cooker and let the rice steam for an additional 5 minutes.
Mix seasoning with rice
- Tip the rice into your hangiri, a large flat bottomed bowl or roasting pan and spread it out. Pour over the rice seasoning and gently stir it through the rice using a slicing gesture. Your aim is to cool down the rice as quickly as possible without breaking up or mashing the grains.
- Stand in front a fan, AC unit or use a hand fan as you stir the rice. This will help it cool down as quickly as possible. Keep mixing until the seasoning is mixed through and the rice looks shiny.
- Wait until the rice is cooled to room temperature before using it. You can cover the hangiri / bowl with a damp towel so it doesn't dry out.
