Sushi Rice

Source: Videojug – Get Good At Life “How to Make Sushi Rice”

 

Ingredients:

Uncooked short grained Japanese rice, 580g (or ~3 cups)

Water, to cook rice, 780ml (or ~31/3 cups)

Vinegar mixture:

Vinegar, 110ml (or ~½ cup)

Castor sugar, 50g (or ~¼ cup)

Salt, ½ tsp

Instant dashi (= Japanese cooking stock) powder*, 1 tsp

* Can substitute with salt if dashi is not available

Method:

1.Wash rice.  Give a good rinse and swirl.  Drain off water, and give good rub to rice to remove impurities.  Repeat process till wash water is clear (~3^rd wash).

2. Prepare vinegar mixture.  Mix all ingredients and place in pan over low heat, till all sugar dissolves.  Do not let mixture boils.  Transfer to bowl and cool it down by placing over iced water.

3. Cook rice. Add water to soak rice for minimum 30 mins, or ideally for 1 hr, before start of cooking process.

(a) Using rice cooker: Cooking process same as using normal rice.  When cooked, off heat and allow rice to sit in its steam for 15 mins before lifting the cover of rice cooker.

(b) Using saucepan over fire: Cook over high heat till water boils at ~7 mins, then lower heat to simmer for 15 mins.  Off heat and allow cooked rice to remain in its steam for 15 mins, before lifting the lid.  Lid must be covered throughout whole process.

4. Transfer cooked rice to a non-metal bowl, ideally to use wooden bowl sushi-oki.  Leave out the burnt bottom, if any, in cooker/saucepan used to cook rice.  Non-metal material is preferred to minimise reaction with vinegar when mixed later.

5. Mix vinegar mixture into rice.  Sprinkle vinegar mixture over rice and fold in quickly using rice spatula (= shamoji in Japanese).  Fan rice during process.  Be careful not to smash rice when folding in the vinegar mixture.  Fanning rice will cool it and remove moisture from rice, resulting in a glossy finish.  Repeat process till most, if not all, vinegar mixture is added.  The rice should not be too wet in the end.

6. Cool rice to to room temperature before use in making sushi dishes.  If rice is still warm, cover with damp cloth to prevent rice dry out.  Do not refrigerate it.

4. Sushi rice is now ready for use.