No matter what your favorite type of sushi is, the constant in this dish is rice, the glue of all the ingredients. Read the following instructions to prepare it in the best way.
Ingrediants
- 2 cups of sushi rice or short grain rice
- 2 glasses of water
- 3 tablespoons of rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of salt
Steps
Step 1. Buy suitable rice
Sushi is usually made with a special Japanese brown rice for sushi. It is a high quality short grain sticky and slightly sweet (however, it should not be confused with glutinous rice).
- For best results, go to an Asian store and buy sushi-specific rice. High quality rice almost always has very few broken grains. Real sushi rice has a good balance of starches (amylose and amylopectin), which allow it to stay sticky when eating using chopsticks. In these stores, you will also find bamboo mats, bamboo spatula, nori seaweed and sushi vinegar (you can also opt for sweetened Asian white vinegar).
- If you can't find sushi rice, the alternative that most resembles it in terms of sweetness and "stickiness" is Dongbei rice, native to north-eastern China, which grows in a natural environment similar to that of Japan and has a rounded shape as well as the rare property of not changing its texture even after cooling. This last characteristic feature, in fact, is essential for preparing authentic sushi and onigiri. Dongbei rice is of high quality and, as a result, is relatively expensive. However, it is cheaper than sushi rice and can be found in many Chinese stores, especially the larger ones. Another option is to buy sushi rice on the internet.
- Calrose is a cheaper option.
- The types of rice that are usually found in supermarkets are almost always long grain. Basmati is an example. Unfortunately, these varieties do not have any grains that bind together and do not come close to the flavor and texture of sushi rice. Brown rice is made from whole grain, not browned and is never used to prepare authentic sushi, although it can be eaten to eat healthier.
Step 2. Measure the rice
If other courses are planned for the meal you are cooking, 600 grams should be enough for four adults and are perfect for a regular-sized pot. Either way, an electric rice cooker is the best way to cook it.
Step 3. Next, rinse the rice thoroughly with plenty of cold water to remove all dirt and starch residues and leave it to soak
An alternative is to put the rice in a colander to be placed in a pot full of water; shake the rice by immersing it in the pot and raise it to drain the milky water. Repeat the process four or five times, until the water appears relatively clean. After the last rinse, pour cold water over the rice for the last time and leave it to soak for about half an hour or, according to some sources, for an hour.
Step 4. To boil it, you will need 100ml of cold water for every 100g of rice
Use the same measuring cup for both ingredients. Put the rice in a common pot, close the lid and cook over high heat. If you use an electric rice cooker, it will do it all by itself. Rice can also be cooked in the oven.
Step 5. If you cook the rice in any pot, check when the water reaches a boil
If you can, opt for a pot with a glass lid because removing the lid releases steam and interferes with the cooking process. When the water begins to boil, wait for seven minutes if the flame is set to maximum. You will probably think “Oh, no, it will stick to the bottom” and, yes, you are partly right, but don't worry because the grains attached won't be used for sushi, in fact, they are used to make the rest of them come out perfect from the pot.
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Do not use a Teflon pot or pan with any type of coating that will prevent the rice from sticking. In fact, this is what we want, because otherwise the grains on the bottom will become crunchy; they will certainly taste great but will mix badly with the rest of the rice you need to make sushi.
Step 6. After seven minutes, turn the heat down to low to allow the rice to cook for another 15 minutes
Remember: never remove the lid. At the end of this quarter of an hour, the rice will be ready. But we're not done yet.
Step 7. Optional:
let the rice cool if you don't want it to get too sticky while you season it. The problem with cooling is that we do not want the rice to dry by reacting to the air but, at the same time, we want it to become cold quickly. A good tip is to use a couple of clean cloths moistened with cold water (but not wet!). Spread one on the table, put the rice on it (do not forget not to scrape the bottom of the pot because the rice left there is not good for sushi) and cover it with another cloth, so that the grains do not come into contact with the air. In this way, it will cool down in about an hour.
Step 8. Prepare the su
For those interested, the word sushi is made up of su, which means "vinegar", and shi, which means "manual skill". You will need a good rice vinegar, a little salt (better the coarse one) and a pinch of sugar. Since different types of vinegar have quite different flavors, it is a good idea to try what you are making. In any case, a good idea is to add three tablespoons of sugar and one and a half teaspoons of salt per 100 ml of vinegar. Now, adjust the mix by tasting it: does it taste too sour? Add some sugar. Not tasty enough? Add some salt. Then let it cool to room temperature.
Make Sushi Rice Step 9 Step 9. Mix the su and the rice
Traditionally, this is done in the hangiri, a round wooden container flat on the bottom, mixing with a wooden spoon. Otherwise, you can use a baking sheet or baking paper (but not aluminum foil, which would react with the vinegar). Gently sauté the rice with the su using the spatula and, if you have not allowed the rice to cool, allow the heat to disperse, in order to avoid preparing it while the grains maintain their cooking temperature; in this regard, you could also spread the rice but be careful not to crush it!
- Adjust the flavor. Add a bit of su, mix with a spatula or wooden spoon and taste. That's no good? Repeat. You will likely end up using about 100-250ml of su for the serving you are making. Remember to avoid rice being too savory or salty; the reason is simple: sushi is immersed in soy sauce, a condiment in itself rich in salt.
- Use room temperature sushi rice. If it's still hot, cover it with a damp cloth (so it doesn't dry out) and leave it outside until it reaches that temperature. Sushi tastes best when made with freshly cooked, unrefrigerated rice.
Step 10. If you really need to refrigerate it, then reheat it with steam or in the microwave by covering it with lettuce to prevent it from drying out
In this way, its consistency will return to the same as it was after being cooked. If you are using a sushi rice or Dongbei rice, which does not harden like other types of grains do, it will be sufficient to heat it slightly. If the refrigeration is not too high, just reintroduce it at room temperature.
Method 1 of 1: Oven method
Make Sushi Rice Step 11 Step 1. Heat the oven to about 200 degrees
Make Sushi Rice Step 12 Step 2. Put the rinsed rice that has been soaked in a baking dish
Step 3. Pour the boiling water into the pan
Make Sushi Rice Step 14 Step 4. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil
Make Sushi Rice Step 15 Step 5. Place it in the center of the oven for 20 minutes
Advice
- While you wait for the vinegar mix to cool, try putting it in a bowl dipped in ice water. This should be helpful in speeding up the process.
- Get someone to help you eliminate excess moisture and steam from the rice faster while you are mixing it. A small fan or a hair dryer set on the cold temperature are perfect for this.
- The humidity of the rice at the end of cooking is important. Since the different types of beans cook and absorb water differently, it is wrong to cook them al dente. The grains, in fact, must be sticky enough but not so much to form a dough.
- If you plan to eat a lot of rice for any length of time, consider purchasing a rice cooker that has a timer and a variety of cooking settings that can accommodate different types of grains.
- There are many types of rice vinegar, both simple and seasoned. The best rice vinegars for sushi are the first. If you opt for the latter, adjust the quantities of sugar and salt used.
- An alternative method to prepare perfect rice is to buy a Japanese electric cooker from Mitsubishi or Zojirushi.
Warnings
- Do not use metal bowls and prefer wooden ones. The vinegar could react in contact with the metal and alter the flavor of the rice.
- Rinse the rice carefully. Many brands coat the beans with talc to prevent them from absorbing water or sticking together during storage. Some brands use a starch that is not harmful to health but, in any case, it is always better to rinse.
- Cooking sushi rice is more difficult than it sounds. Many people who try it for the first time find it really frustrating.
