How To Make Sushi Rice

  • December 5, 2007
  • 64,689 Views
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According to Japanese tradition, aspiring sushi chefs must spend years perfecting their sushi rice before they’re even allowed to cut fish. So consider this a head start.

You Will Need

  • 2 c. short grain white rice, preferably Japanese sushi rice
  • Lots of fresh, cold water
  • A measuring cup
  • A mesh strainer
  • A heavy, 2-quart pot with a lid
  • A wooden spoon
  • A timer
  • A 4-quart plastic, silicone, or glass bowl
  • 1/2 c. white rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 c. sugar
  • A four-inch piece of konbu seaweed
  • And a 1-quart saucepan
How To Make Sushi Rice: Rinse rice

Step 1: Rinse rice

Place the rice in a mesh strainer and rinse it under cold running water. Pick out any debris you might find in the rice, such as weird little pebbles or odd-looking grains of rice.

How To Make Sushi Rice: Soak rice

Step 2: Soak rice

Place the rinsed rice in your 2-quart pot and fill the pot with water until it’s about one inch above the rice. Let this soak for 30 minutes.

How To Make Sushi Rice: Rinse rice again

Step 3: Rinse rice again

Place the soaked rice back in the strainer and rinse it again under cold running water until the water runs clear.

How To Make Sushi Rice: Boil rice

Step 4: Boil rice

Place the rinsed, drained rice back in the saucepan and add 2 1/4 cups of cold water. Cover the pot, place it over high heat, and bring it to a boil.

How To Make Sushi Rice: Turn down heat

Step 5: Turn down heat

Once at a boil—you’ll see steam and bubbles escaping from under the lid—turn the heat down to the lowest possible setting.

How To Make Sushi Rice: Let rice simmer

Step 6: Let rice simmer

Let the rice simmer for 20 minutes. Set a timer and don’t lift the lid to check on the rice until it goes off.

If there’s still water in the pot after 20 minutes, put the lid back on and let the rice cook a few more minutes until all the water is absorbed.

How To Make Sushi Rice: Boil mixture

Step 7: Boil mixture

While the rice is cooking, place the rice vinegar, salt, and sugar in the smaller, 1-quart pot and bring it to a boil on medium high heat, stirring regularly until the salt and sugar dissolve. Add the konbu to the vinegar mixture and turn off the heat. Set the pot aside to cool.

How To Make Sushi Rice: Let rice sit

Step 8: Let rice sit

Once the rice has absorbed all the water, turn off the heat and let it sit for 15 minutes with the lid still on.

How To Make Sushi Rice: Spread out rice

Step 9: Spread out rice

Dump the rice into a large non-metal bowl and spread it out with a wooden spoon so it will cool down faster.

Don’t scrape the bottom of the pot—any dried, crusty bits of rice will add a funny flavor and texture to your sushi.

How To Make Sushi Rice: Pour mixture

Step 10: Pour mixture

Remove the konbu from the cooled vinegar and slowly pour the mixture over a spoon into the cooked rice, gently stirring and tossing to combine and cool it.That’s it; you’ve just saved yourself years of practice!

The average American eats about 27 pounds of rice a year, while the average Asian eats about 400 pounds.

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Comments (4)

Queue

I need to find a place around where I live that sells Konbu! I think that might be what my sushi rice has been missing. I never knew not to scrape the pot at the end either! Awesome, awesome guide!

over 3 years ago by Queue

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senya

Thanks so much! I'm going to try this out tomorrow.

over 3 years ago by senya

Reply
jajalito

Hello. 2 questions. 1) How many rolls can I make with 2 cups of rice. 2) If I want to double the quantities: are the times also doubled? (40 min instead of 20 min?) Thank you,

over 2 years ago by jajalito

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bessieee

what a waste of time! we just use a pressure cooker. BTW, what's the hell problem with the person's lips in the video?

over 2 years ago by bessieee

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Video is in Sushi Made Simple (8 videos)