Sushi Rice
Sushi rice is the part of sushi that most people overlook, but it's actually the ingredient that makes or breaks the whole dish. This recipe gives you that glossy, slightly sticky, perfectly seasoned rice you get at your favorite sushi restaurant, made right in your own kitchen with just a handful of ingredients. Once you get the hang of the rinsing, cooking, and seasoning steps, you'll be able to whip up restaurant-quality sushi rice any night of the week.
Equipment
- Fine-mesh strainer for rinsing the rice
- Rice cooker or heavy bottomed pot with a tight fitting lid
- Small saucepan for warming the vinegar mixture
- Wooden sushi oke or hangiri a wide shallow bowl for mixing and cooling the rice
- Rice paddle (shamoji) for folding the seasoning into the rice
- Fan or piece of cardboard for cooling the rice quickly
Ingredients
- 2 cups short grain sushi rice 400g
- 2 1/4 cups cold water 540ml
- 1 small piece dried kombu optional, about 2x3 inch piece
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar 60ml
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 38g
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 5g
Instructions
- Place the rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water, swirling gently, until the water runs mostly clear, about 3 to 5 rinses. Let drain for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Transfer drained rice to a rice cooker or heavy pot. Add cold water and kombu. Cook using the sushi rice setting, or bring to a boil, reduce heat to lowest, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. Let sit covered 10 minutes off heat, then discard kombu.
- Combine rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Warm over low heat, stirring often, just until dissolved, about 2 minutes. Do not boil. Set aside to cool.
- Transfer hot rice to a wide shallow bowl. Drizzle vinegar mixture evenly over rice. Fold with a rice paddle using slicing motions while fanning the rice. Continue 8 to 10 minutes until rice cools to room temperature and looks glossy.
- Cover seasoned rice with a clean damp cloth to prevent drying. Do not refrigerate. Use within 4 to 6 hours for best flavor and texture.
Notes
- Rinse the rice until the water is nearly clear. Skipping this step is the number one cause of gummy sushi rice.
- Use a wide, shallow bowl for seasoning the rice instead of a deep pot, since the extra surface area helps the rice cool faster.
- Fold, don't stir, when mixing in the vinegar, using gentle cutting motions with your rice paddle to avoid mashing the grains.
- Weigh your rice and water with a digital kitchen scale for more consistent results batch after batch.
- Never refrigerate finished sushi rice, since it hardens the starches and dulls both the texture and flavor.
- Season the rice while it's still hot, since warm rice absorbs the vinegar mixture far better than cooled rice.
- For brown sushi rice, swap in short grain brown rice for a nuttier flavor and more fiber, though the texture will be slightly less sticky.
- For a low sugar version, cut the sugar by half for a more savory, less sweet finished rice.
- Store leftover sushi rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Sprinkle with water and microwave in short bursts to soften.
- For meal prep, store unseasoned cooked rice and season it fresh right before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1ServingCalories: 210kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 4gSodium: 320mgSugar: 6g
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