Perfect Sushi Rice Recipes

Steps:

• In large bowl, wash rice in several changes of cold water until water is clear. Transfer to a large saucepan; add 2 cups water. Let stand for 30 minutes., Cover saucepan and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cook until water is absorbed and rice is tender, 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Let stand, covered, for 10 minutes., Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt, stirring until sugar is dissolved., Transfer rice to a shallow bowl; sprinkle with vinegar mixture. Set aside remaining vinegar mixture for assembly. With a wooden paddle or spoon, stir rice with a slicing motion until cooled. Cover with a damp cloth to keep moist. (Rice mixture may be made up to 6 hours ahead and stored at room temperature, covered, with a damp towel. Do not refrigerate.)

Steps:

• Rinse the rice in a strainer or colander until the water runs clear. Combine with water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Rice should be tender and water should be absorbed. Cool until cool enough to handle.
• In a small saucepan, combine the rice vinegar, oil, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Cool, then stir into the cooked rice. When you pour this in to the rice it will seem very wet. Keep stirring and the rice will dry as it cools.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, add rice and cover with lots of water. Stir rice in water with your hands, then pour off most of the water, and agitate 10 to 15 times by quickly moving your hand back and forth, swishing rice against side of bowl. Rinse the rice several more times, until the water that drains off of the rice is almost clear. Transfer the rice to a colander and let drain for 1 hour, undisturbed. Transfer the rice to a rice cooker, add the water, cover, and cook as directed by manufacturer's directions.
• While the rice is cooking, bring rice vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan, and then remove from the heat. Add sugar and salt and stir until dissolved. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• When rice is done, allow cooked rice to remain in rice cooker for 10 minutes. Transfer rice to a large shallow mixing bowl (traditionally a wooden tub, called a hangiri), so that rice forms a mound in the center of the bowl. Using a diagonal slicing motion, gently cut into rice with a wooden paddle (called a kijakushi), and pour cooled vinegar mixture over top of rice. "Cut" rice several times to evenly distribute vinegar mixture, then allow to cool. Gently turn rice over from time to time with paddle so that rice cools evenly. You might want to consider using a fan if time is of the essence. When rice has cooled to body temperature, it is ready to use for sushi rolls. Rice can be kept at the proper temperature by placing it in an insulated container such as a small ice chest, covered with a damp kitchen towel.

Steps:

• The most important thing to get right when cooking sushi rice is the ratio of rice to water. It's better to use a volume measure rather than weighing. Use a cook's 250ml measuring cup if you have one, or a short glass, teacup or small mug. Once you've made one batch, you'll know how much cooked rice that measure makes - it should be about 2½ cups.
• Measure out 1 cup rice into a saucepan, rinse the rice, swirling it around the pan, then drain off the water. Try not to lose any of the rice. Add 1½ cups water (about 375ml).
• Bring the rice to a simmer quickly, put on a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 13 mins - don't take the lid off.
• Check a couple of grains at the top - the rice should be just about cooked and the water evaporated. If not, continue to cook and check at 2 min intervals, each brand of rice will differ. Turn the heat off and leave the rice to stand with the lid on for 10 mins so all the moisture is absorbed. Add sushi rice seasoning, if you like, and serve.

Steps:

• Ignore the directions on the bag that the rice came from and rinse the rice only 3-5 times. The water does NOT have to run clear.
• Place rice to drain in a strainer.
• Drain for one hourin the winter, 30 min in the summer. (Sounds strange, but is true).
• While rice is draining, combine vinegar,sugar, salt and mirin together in a bowl and mix well.
• If using a kelp leaf,it should be about 2 in long
• Wipe it lightly, cut small slits to make it look like a comb and add it to a pot along with the water.
• Add rice to the pot.
• Bring quickly to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
• Cover the pot and DON'T touch it until the end, NO PEEKING.
• Cook for 15 minutes before removing the pot from the heat but keep the lid CLOSED.
• Let rice rest for 10 min and then remove the cover.
• Place in a glass dish to cool and lightly fan the rice while adding the vinegar mixture.
• Mix rice gently, careful not to break it.
• Sushi rice is best used at body temperature.

Steps:

• Rinse and swirl sushi rice in a good quality pot that takes about 4 times its volume; drain in a strainer or sieve. Do this three times and return the rice to the pot. Add the cooking water.
• Bring the rice and water to the boil on high heat. Immediately reduce the heat to the lowest setting, place the lid tightly on the pot, set your timer/cellphone/watch to 20 minutes and DO NOT REMOVE THE LID FOR EVEN A MOMENT.
• In the meantime make the sushi-su (rice vinegar mix). Mix the rice wine vinegar, sugar and salt in a bowl and microwave for a minute or so. Stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Also use this time to prepare your other ingredients.
• When your timer goes off after 20 minutes turn the heat to zero, STILL DO NOT REMOVE THE LID, and set your timer/cellphone/watch to another 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes YOU MAY REMOVE THE LID! and turn the rice out into a large bowl - glass, ceramic, wood or plastic only.
• When it has cooled for a few minutes use a large blunt implement such as a flat-ended wooden spoon to make some gentle but deep incisions into the rice and pour half the sushi-su all over and into the cooling rice.
• Gently turn the rice with your implement taking care not to make it stickier. Make a few more incisions, and pour the rest of the vinegar. Turn gently again as you allow the sushi rice to cool to body temperature before starting to make your sushi.
• Bonus tip 1: While making sushi keep a bowl of clean slightly warm water next to you and frequently wet your hand as you spread the sushi rice onto the nori (with nori rough-side up) to prevent it sticking to your hand.
• Bonus tip 2: Make everyday sushi with ingredients you already have on hand. Vegetarian maki rolls are fabulous and can include carrot (shavings or fine sticks), avocado (thinly sliced), cucumber (thinly sliced lengthwise, small Mediterranean cucumbers are best with lower water content than English cucumbers), sesame seed (dry-toasted), spring onion (green onion or scallion), sweet red, orange or yellow pepper (pimento, finely sliced lengthwise), firm juicy-fleshed fruit such as strawberry and melon, and of course wasabi and Japanese Kewpie Doll mayonnaise.
• Bonus tip 3: Only dip in Kikkoman soya sauce. Tens of thousands of sushi chefs around the world can't be wrong.