I’ll admit it: I don’t have the patience to make sushi at home (though I hold out high hopes that someday I will!). I do love serving sushi rice — a slightly sweetened rice — with certain meals, particularly seared albacore.
Making the rice is amazingly simple; it’s even easier if you have a rice cooker that does the bulk of the work for you. The recipe below assumes you’re cooking your rice on the stovetop, so if you do use a rice cooker, follow the directions for your machine (some have a sushi rice setting, which is really nice).
One key thing to remember before cooking your rice is to wash it several times to remove the outer starches — I generally cover the rice in a bowl with water, swish a bit, then drain using a fine mesh strainer. You will notice the water is very cloudy the first couple of rinses, but will get clearer as the starches are removed.
Sushi Rice
By June 5, 2013
Published:- Yield: 4 Servings
- Prep: 25 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Ready In: 45 mins
Even if you're not making your own sushi at home, this rice is great for fish bowls. It's a little bit sweet and lightly vinegar-y, so it complements interesting flavors, including spicy dishes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt or less if you prefer
- 1 2-inch piece kombu see Notes
- 2 - 3 cups hot steamed rice
Instructions
- Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, and kombu in a saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar and salt dissolve.
- Set aside to cool, discarding the kombu before using the liquid.
- Add the hot rice to a wide shallow bowl or baking dish — the wider the better because you want the rice to dry out a bit. Pour a small amount of the seasoned vinegar over the rice — for three cups of cooked rice, you will use about a 1/3 cup of vinegar. Using a rice paddle or spatula, toss the rice by cutting into it vertically and turning sections of the rice.
- While tossing the rice, fan the mixture with a paper plate or other hand fan — this helps dry and cool the rice.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Keep covered and warm until ready to use.
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