Preparing the Vinegar
Heat the vinegar, sugar and salt in a sauce pan on the stove over medium heat until the sugar and salt are dissolved into the vinegar. Do not boil the mixture. Leave sitting off heat until needed. You can make this portion before or while the rice is cooking.
Preparing the Rice
Rinse the rice in cold water. This will take several minutes and several changes of water. Rinse the rice until the final change of water runs almost clear.
Watch these videos for a demonstration of two techniques for rinsing the rice:
VideoJug's How to Make Sushi Rice shows you using a bowl under a sink tap
5 Min's Making Sushi Rice illustrates how to use a sieve and bowl combination under a sink tap
You can leave the rice to soak in the water for 15 minutes, or let it it sit drained in the strainer for up to an hour.
Cooking the Rice
Steam the rinsed rice in an equal amount of water (i.e.: 2 cups of rice and 2 cups of water) in a rice cooker or on the stove top following the package's directions or by bringing to a boil, then cooking over very low heat until the water is evaporated and you are left with lovely sticky rice.
As always when cooking rice on the stovetop, use very low heat after the initial boil and keep the lid on at all times. The trapped steam is what enables the rice to cook.
An optional step is to add a piece of kombu, or dried kelp, to the rice as it cooks to add more flavor. If using the stove-top method, discard the kelp after the initial boil.
Once the rice has finished cooking, it can be left off heat in the pot with the lid on for up to 15 minutes.
Seasoning the Rice
When the rice has finished cooking, add the vinegar seasoning to the rice. Turn the rice out of the pot and into a non-reactive shallow bowl.
The traditional method uses a wooden container, such as a hangiri.
You want to cool down the rice and add the seasoning at the same time.
Use a tool like a shamoji in a gentle chopping motion to spread out the grains of rice and ensure the seasoning covers every grain.
Some people use a hand-held fan to help in the cooling process
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Tips for Making Perfect Sushi Rice
1. Use a non-reactive metal or wooden container for the final step of seasoning the rice, as some metals will react with the vinegar and mar the flavor of the rice.
2. Be careful not to squish the grains of rice together when adding the vinegar mixture. You want to maintain the integrity of the rice grains.
3. Spreading out the rice makes it cool down faster. This stops the rice cooking in its own heat. To make sushi, the rice should be at about room temperature.
4. If you are not going to make the sushi right away, cover the seasoned rice with a damp cloth to ensure that it doesn't dry out.
5. Never refrigerate sushi rice, as it will get too hard to work with or eat.
Credits:
Kami-chan.x3 & Mahalo
