Sushi Rice

(makes 6-8 rolls, serves 4)
 
 Recipe courtesy of Mark Matsumoto
 
Sushi rice, or sushi meshi is short-grain rice seasoned with vinegar, sugar and salt.
 
 Ingredients:

• 3 cups rice (Please use Japanese short grain rice for making sushi)
• 3 ¼ cups cold water
• ½ cup rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt

 
OR, the easier way:

• 3 cups rice
• 3 ¼ cups cold water
• ½ cup sushi seasoning

Instructions

1. Pour all rice grains into a bowl and wash with water. Use your hands to remove the excess starch off each grain of rice by using a gentle rubbing motion. If you scrub too hard you will break the rice, so don't be too rough. Drain and repeat 3-4 times.
2. When the water that runs off is mostly clear, drain the rice.
3. If you're using a rice cooker, add the rice to the bowl of the rice cooker and add the cold water. If you don't have a rice cooker, add the rice to a large heavy bottomed non-stick pot, then add the water (3 ¼ cups)
4. Let the rice sit in the water for at least 30 minutes. This allows the grains of rice to soak up some water before cooking, which results in shinier rice with a better texture.
5. If you are using a rice cooker, turn it on and let it do it's thing. If you are doing this on the stove, turn the heat onto high and bring the rice to a boil (be careful not to let it boil over). Turn down the heat to low and cover with a lid. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Once the rice is done, turn off the heat and let the rice steam for 10 minutes.
6. While you wait for the rice to cook, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl. You can microwave or heat on stove for a bit to help dissolve the sugar.
7. After the rice has had a chance to steam, it should be firm, but the core should not be crunchy. It should be sticky, but each grain of rice should retain its own shape. If your rice was fresh, the surface of each grain should be glossy.
8. Dump the rice out into a very large bowl, the key is that you want a container with a lot of surface area so you can spread the rice out. Pour the vinegar mixture (or sushi seasoning) evenly over the hot rice.
9. Set the bowl on a damp towel to keep it from sliding. Using a broad flat wooden spoon in one hand, gently combine the rice and vinegar mixture using a side-to-side cutting motion, and folding motion with the edge of the spoon. You want to separate each grain of rice, so the vinegar penetrates every surface, but you don't want to break the grains of rice or mash them together.
10. The rice is done when the surface is no longer wet and slippery, the rice is fluffy, and each grain is very shiny. It will still be a little warm, but it should not be hot. Spread the rice out over the surface of your bowl, and cover with a damp towel until you're ready to use it.

 
Reminder of Sushi Rolling Process:

Other Sushi Supplies:

• Fresh salmon and tuna can be purchased from a local Japanese store (i.e. Tensuke on Kenny Road)
• Avocadoes: Buy avocadoes and let them ripen several days in advance before your sushi party
• Crunch Roll: The crunchy tempura bits can be bought from Tensuke or other Japanese specialty stores. Or, the bits can be made after making your own sweet potato tempura.
• Cucumbers: Buy English cucumbers as they are more crispy, have less seeds, and are more suited for rolls
• Imitation crab meat (enough for 4 rolls): Finely chop 7 imitation crab sticks to 3 tablespoons of Japanese kewpie mayo (or regular mayo), and mix.
• Sesame Seeds
• Sushi Mat (plastic is better, so that the rice doesn’t stick. Rice will stick to wooden mats, so make sure to wrap those with plastic wrap).