This wikiHow teaches you how to make sushi rice that's perfect for sushi rolls and chirashi.
Ingredients
- 2 2/3 cups sushi rice or short grain rice
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 3 tbsp. rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
Step
Step 1. Buy the right type of rice
Sushi is usually made with a special Japanese white sushi rice known as “sushi rice”. This is a high-quality short-grain rice that is sticky (but not glutinous) and slightly sweet.
- For better results, look at the store and ask for specialty sushi rice. Rice that is of high grain quality will be mostly whole and not broken. Real sushi rice has a good balance of starches (amylose and amylopectin) so the rice sticks together when you use your chopsticks and lift it from the plate to your mouth. Generally this type of rice will be labeled "Sushi Rice". At the same store you can usually find other supplies and ingredients, such as bamboo sushi roll mats, bamboo spoons, nori sheets, and rice vinegar (you can also use sweetened Asian white vinegar).
- In the absence of sushi rice, the most similar alternative is dongbei rice (a rice native to northeastern China whose natural environment is similar to Japan's cold climate. The level of sweetness and stickiness of dongbei rice is very similar to that of sushi rice. Dongbei rice is round and pearl-like in shape. Apart from that, Dongbei rice also has a peculiarity, which is that after cooking this rice never returns to the texture it was before cooking. This means that it will not harden and remain soft even after cooling. This property is important for making authentic sushi and onigiri. Dongbei rice is a type high quality Chinese rice which, although relatively expensive, is still cheaper than sushi rice. This rice can be found in large/quality grocery stores. An alternative is to buy sushi rice online.
- A less expensive option is calrose, some brands include Botan Calrose and Kokuho Rose.
- Other types of rice are mostly long-grain (mostly found in supermarkets), such as basmati. Long grain rice will not stick and the taste and texture will not approach sushi rice. Brown rice is whole grain rice that is never used in making authentic sushi, but can be consumed for a healthier diet.
Step 2. Weigh the rice
Depending on how hungry you are, 600 grams of rice is generally enough for 4 adults, if the menu is accompanied by appetizers and desserts for dessert. The amount of 600 grams is also the right portion for a standard size rice cooker. With this amount you will get as much rice as half a rice cooker container, which is the most ideal result in terms of moisture and texture. A rice cooker is the most reliable tool for cooking rice.
Step 3. Next, wash and rinse the rice
One way to do this is to find a large container that you can fill with large quantities of cold water. Rinse the rice by sprinkling it with plenty of water. Stir the rice with your hands to remove all the dirt and starch particles that make the water cloudy. Don't wash it too long. Just go back and forth for a while and then throw the water. Alternatively, you can place the rice in a colander and place the sieve over a large container. Fill the container with water, stir in the rice, then remove the strainer from the bowl so you can remove the white water. Do this four to five times until the water is clear enough. After the last rinse, pour clean water over the rice one last time and soak the rice for about half an hour. Some sources recommend draining and drying rice for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Step 4. To boil rice, you need 100 milliliters of water for every 100 grams of rice, which is the weight of the rice before soaking
In this example, it means 600 milliliters of water because we are using 600 grams of rice. Whatever container you use to measure rice, use the same container to measure water. Put the rice with water into the rice cooker or rice cooker. Cover and do not open until the rice is cooked. Turn the heat to the hottest setting if you are cooking it on the stove. For a rice cooker, just plug it in, set the switch to the “Cook” setting, then let the rice cook. If you are using a rice cooker, skip the 2 steps below and go straight to Step 7, which is Cooling the Rice. In addition to the two methods above, you can also make sushi rice in the oven, as will be explained later. But meanwhile…
Step 5. Watch the rice cooker until it starts to boil
It's a good idea to use a pan with a transparent lid so you can see it, as opening the lid will allow steam to escape and interfere with the cooking process. After the rice boils, turn on the timer. Set to 7 minutes on maximum heat. Maybe you're thinking, "Oh no, the bottom is going to move." You are half right. Some of the rice will stick to the bottom of the pan, but that's okay because we won't be using that part to make sushi. Rice sticking to the bottom of the pot is unavoidable, but some must be sacrificed so that others can be cooked to perfection.
Do not use a pot or rice cooker made of Teflon or any other type of nonstick coating. Our want to the crust sticks to the bottom of the pan because even though it is delicious, the hard crust mixed with the soft rice due to the use of a non-stick coating, will spoil the perfection of the rice for sushi, maki rolls, or onigiri.
Step 6. After seven minutes, lower the heat from maximum to a temperature sufficient to bring the rice to a gentle simmer for the next 15 minutes
Remember: Never open the lid of the pot if you don't want to spoil the rice. After 15 minutes the rice will be cooked, but you are not done yet.
Step 7. Optional:
Cool the rice if you don't want the rice to be too sticky when seasoned. When cooling the rice, do not let the rice dry out by opening it on the kitchen counter until the rice reacts with the air. However, we also want to cool it down quickly. A good way is to use two clean washcloths dampened in cold water (don't get too wet!). Spread the rag on the table and spread the rice over it (don't scrape the rice all the way to the bottom of the pan. You don't want to have a hard crust on the sushi rice later). After that, cover the rice with another cloth so that the air does not dry out the rice. This way, the rice will cool in about an hour.
Step 8. Create su
The word sushi is actually a combination of su (which means “vinegar”) and shi (which means “handsiness”). So sushi basically means “vinegar skill”. You need good rice, vinegar, salt to taste (coarse salt, not fine salt because fine salt contains too many additives to prevent it from clumping, so it doesn't taste very good) and sugar to taste. Since each brand of vinegar has a very different taste, it's a good idea to taste the vinegar first. But the main rule is, for every 100 milliliters of vinegar, you should include 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1.5 teaspoons of salt. Put everything in a saucepan and simmer while stirring until everything melts. Now, adjust this mixture by tasting it. Too sour? Add sugar. Taste bland? Pour in the salt. It doesn't feel strong enough? Add vinegar. Then cool the su until it reaches room temperature.
Step 9. Stir in the su and rice
Traditionally mixing is done in hangiri (ie small, round wooden barrels with a flat bottom) and wooden spoons. Alternatively, you can use a baking sheet or cookie tray (but don't use a thin sheet of aluminum/aluminum foil as it will react with the vinegar). Sprinkle the su over the rice. Gently stir and flip the rice over with a fork. If the rice is not cold, let the heat evaporate. Otherwise, the rice will be overcooked with the heat still remaining in it. You can also spread the rice to make it cool faster, but don't let it crumble.
- Adjust the taste. Add a little su, stir (gently) with a fork or wooden spoon, then taste. Still not enough? Add su. You may need as much as 100 to 250 milliliters of su for the portion we're making here. Don't make the rice taste too sharp or too salty by adding too much su. From the start, we deliberately didn't add salt to the rice and didn't want the rice to be salty because later the sushi would be dipped in soy sauce which was already very salty.
- Process the sushi rice after it reaches room temperature. If the rice is still hot, cover it with a damp cloth (so it doesn't dry out) and let it come to room temperature. The taste of sushi will be better if it is made directly from warm rice that has not been put in the refrigerator first.
Step 10. If you have to put it in the fridge, reheat the rice by steaming or microwave it with a piece of lettuce
Or loosely wrap the rice in lettuce leaves (so it doesn't dry out) until it's soft again like fresh rice. If you're using sushi rice or dongbei rice (which doesn't harden like other types), just heat it up a bit. If you just put it in the refrigerator for a while, you just have to return it to room temperature. That's enough.
Method 1 of 1: Cooking Rice in the Oven
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 190°C
Step 2. Place the washed and soaked rice in an 8x8 Pyrex bowl
Step 3. Pour the same volume of boiling water as the volume of rice into a bowl
Step 4. Cover the bowl tightly with a thin sheet of aluminum
Step 5. Place the bowl in the center of the oven for 20 minutes
Tips
- If you plan to eat rice frequently, buy a quality rice cooker with advanced features such as a timer and various cooking settings to accommodate different types of rice.
- There are various types of rice vinegar available in the market, including flavored rice vinegar and real rice vinegar. The rice vinegar we use for sushi is real rice vinegar. Flavored rice vinegar has added sugar and salt. If you buy flavored rice vinegar, adjust the amount of sugar and salt accordingly.
- Pay attention to the humidity of the rice after cooking because different types of rice cook and absorb water in different ways. So it's like a trial and error process to cook rice "right": cooked but not runny. Your goal is to make each grain of rice sticky enough, stay intact, and not crumble into mush.
- An alternative way to make perfect rice is to buy Japanese rice cookers made by companies like Mitsubishi or Zojirushi. If you add a little more water than you should, the rice will usually still cook perfectly.
- While you are waiting for the vinegar mixture to cool, place the vinegar in a bowl soaked with ice water. This method will speed up the cooling process.
- Have someone help fan the rice while you mix it with the su so that the steam and heat dissipate faster and the consistency remains. You can also use a small fan or hairdryer on cool and low settings.
Warning
- Do not use metal bowls. Wooden containers/bowls are the best choice. The vinegar can react with the metal and this will change the taste of the rice.
- Wash the rice thoroughly. Many brands coat the rice with talc to prevent the rice from absorbing water and sticking to each other in storage, and this is a substance you should never eat. Some other brands add starch that is safe for consumption. But just in case, washing the rice thoroughly is the best option.
- Cooking sushi rice is more difficult than it looks. People trying it for the first time often find this process frustrating.
