HOME PAGE
CAKE & SNACK
   Kastella
   Dorayaki
   Kompeitoh
DRESSING
GARDENING
GREEN TEA
   Varieties
   Preparation
   When
        and where
   Benefits
PICKLES
   Beer-zuke
   Hakumai-zuke
   Bettara-zuke
NATTO
SUSHI
   Rice
   Nigiri-zushi
   Hako-zushi
   Temaki-zushi
   Masu-zushi

Vinegared Rice for Sushi

The most important step in making sushi is a right selection of rice. Among many kinds of rice (such as short grain, long grain, wild rice, sweet rice, etc.), only one kind of rice is appropriate for sushi, that is, the short grain rice called "uruchimai," available in Japanese groceries.

If more than one kind of uruchimai are sold at the store, ask the owner which is the best for sushi.

Two cups of rice serves for four.

Rice cooking
  • With an electric rice cooker:

    Follow the instruction of the electric cooker. It is important, however, to soak rice in water for 30 minutes. We assume to cook 2 cups of rice. After the heat is turned off, set aside for 30 minutes before mixing with vinegar-sugar.

  • Without an electric rice cooker:

    Find a deep pan of approximately 6 inch diameter and 4 to 5 inch deep with a tightly fitted lid.

    Measure rice by a cup. We assume to cook 2 cups of rice. Wash rice a few times, or until the water remains clear after stirring. Drain all the water carefully. Add 1.3 cups for each cup of rice (footnote), or 2.6 cups for 2 cups of rice. Put the lid and set aside for 30 minutes before heating starts.

    Cook at a medium low intensity of heat. When boiling starts reduce heat to low (keep boiling, but the water should not spill out). Never use high heat at any time. The heating takes only about 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off heat when a slight pinging sound starts. Set aside for 30 minutes with the lid tightly closed before mixing with vinegar. (It is a good idea never to open the lid during this period.)

Vinegar
  • For 2 cups of rice (measured originally), prepare a mix of
      1 tea spoon salt
      2 table spoon sugar
      3 table spoon vinegar
  • Move the cooked rice at a slightly hot temperature to a large bowl.
  • Sprinkle the vinegar mix over the rice and mix gently by a wooden spatula so the vinegar is evenly distributed.
  • Set the rice in the bowl aside for another 1/2 hour, or until the rice is no longer warm.
Footnote: It is not possible to recommend an exact amount of water for two reasons. First, an ideal amount of water changes from a brand of rice to another. Second, the rice tends to lose water as it gets older. If the rice is new (a few months after production from the field), its water content is high, so the amount of cooking water must be reduced, and vise versa. In general, it is hard to know how old the rice is. Therefore, some trail-and-errors approach by increasing or decreasing the amount in the next time of cooking is often unavoidable.

For most packs of uruchimai sold in North America, however, a standard amount of water is 1.5 cup for each cup of rice measured before the rice becomes wet. This way of measuring is nonsense, however, because most people measure water after rice is washed. When the rice is wet, 0.2 cup of water is attached to the surface of the rice (for each cup) even after all the water is drained from the pan. So you have to reduce the amount of water to add. This is how 1.3 cup per 1 cup of rice is arrived at.

One way to avoid confusion is to make a ruler using a wood stick or anything equivalent. Add 1 cup of dry rice and 1.5 cup water in the pan. Mark on the ruler at the surface of water. Add another 1 cup of dry rice and 1.5 cup of water. Mark on the ruler, Repeat this until the water surface reaches approximately 1 inch from the top of the pan.