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 Published: June 5, 2013
- 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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