Cooking rice for sushi
The preparation of the rice for sushi is very important and probably the key ingredient for being a successful sushi chef. Follow this rice recipe and you'll be a professional sushi chef in no time!
- 3 cups raw rice
- 3 1/4 to 3 3/4 cups water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/3 cup vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Wash the rice thoroughly and let it drain for one hour before cooking.
Put the rice and water into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover the saucepan and simmer the rice for fifteen to twenty minutes or until it is just tender.
Rice cooked for sushi should be slightly harder in texture than for other dishes. Remove from the stove and let it stand covered for ten minutes.
Put the vinegar, sugar, and salt into a small saucepan, bring to a boil and remove from the stove.
Put the hot rice into a large bowl, wooden if possible.
Pour the vinegar mixture evenly over the surface of the rice, mixing it into the rice with quick, cutting strokes. Fan the rice at the same time. This fanning, which cools the rice quickly, produces the glossy sheen prized in a good sushi base.
