Today’s post is taken from our Japanese Cuisine page, with a little modification and extra information provided on how to prepare perfect sushi rice.

How you prepare perfect sushi rice is a subtle and refined process. Ask any sushi chef and he or she will tell you that there is no one recipe that is more “perfect” than the other. It has to do with the chef’s own special “touch” he or she adds to the (basic) recipe below. Once you have gotten familiar with this culinary procedure, your own ideas about of what constitutes “perfect sushi rice” will take on a shape that is uniquely yours.

But for starters, first try out this very basic, authentic and traditional recipe. Once you have the basics down pat, then go ahead and experiment with the proportions of sugar and vinegar, and also try out different types of sushi grade vinegars – there are many different types, each with its own subtle difference in flavor. Some prefer their sushi rice on the tangy side, others prefer it to be a little sweet, and the possible variations are endless. So have fun with it!

Prepare Perfect Sushi Rice Recipe-

Ingredients:

• 2 cups good quality uncooked (glutinous) sushi rice
• 2-1/4 cups water
• ¼ cup sushi grade rice vinegar
• 1-1/2 tbsp. granulated white cane sugar
• 1 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. In a strainer or colander, rinse the rice thoroughly, until the water runs clear. Leave the rice in the strainer, suspended over a bowl, for a full hour, so the rice is completely dried.
2. In a full sized saucepan, combine the rinsed rice with 2-1/4 cups of water and bring the water to a simmer, and set your timer for 10 minutes.
3. Put a lid on the pot and allow rice to simmer for 10 minutes, on low flame.
4. While the rice is cooking, prepare your seasoned rice vinegar, by mixing together, in a small bowl, the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir until the sugar has all dissolved.
5. When your timer goes off, turn off the burner and, keeping the pan covered, let the rice sit for another full 10 minutes.
6. After 10 minutes, the next step is to “fan” the rice. Do this by spreading the rice out on a large enough baking pan, little by little, until all the rice is evenly spread over the pan. Drizzle some of the seasoned rice vinegar, tablespoon at a time, over the rice. Using a fork, fluff and fan the rice, so all the grains are being coated with the seasoning as they are being separated from each other. Drizzle the rest of the vinegar over the rice evenly, and keep fanning and fluffing the rice. You want the rice to be sticky, but not clumpy. The grains should all be separate, nicely seasoned, and yet sticky enough to hold the shape you want during sushi assembly time. The rice will take on a beautiful shine to it, also.
7. Now that the rice is well seasoned and fanned and cooled, it is ready to work with. To test your rice for perfection, take a small amount and form it into a small cylinder in your hand. It should hole its shape well, but if you take your finger and poke/pull at an edge of the cylinder, the portion you are applying pressure to should easily crumble and fall away from the rest. If it passes this test, you have succeeded in your efforts to prepare perfect sushi rice.

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Here is a well done video presentation that will walk you through all the steps listed above. It sometimes helps to get a visual on new recipes, especially something as finicky as how to prepare perfect sushi rice.

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Chow y’all, and have fun while you prepare perfect sushi rice! Please do leave a comment, ask a question, share your experience with sushi making, offer suggestions, whatever … it’s all good, here at Ethnic Foods R Us.

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