The Sushi Master’s Secret: A Step-by-Step Guide to Restaurant-Grade Rice at Home
You don’t need a special kind of rice — just follow these instructions to cook it right.
Who hasn’t tried to make sushi at home at least once in their life? Japanese cuisine’s popularity took the world by storm years ago, with many looking for sushi recipes that are easy enough to follow in an ordinary kitchen.
However, the most frequent problem would always concern the sushi rice that should be prepared in a specific way. The good news here is that you can make sushi with any kind of rice if you follow the instructions below — once you master this, the rest will become even easier.
Ingredients: 250 g of round-grain rice, 4 tablespoons of rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons of hot water, 1.5 tablespoons of sugar, 0.5 teaspoons of salt.
Rinse the rice thoroughly in cold water; this is necessary to remove excess starch. Keep rinsing until the water runs clear. You’ll need to change the water about 10 times, or possibly more.
Next, pour cold water (275 ml) over the rice, cover the pot with a lid, and place it over medium heat. Do not add salt or spices yet.
As soon as the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and let it cook for exactly 15 minutes. During this time, do not remove the lid, and definitely do not stir the rice.
After 15 minutes, remove the rice from the heat, place a towel under the lid, and cover tightly with the lid (the towel will help absorb excess moisture). Let it rest for another 15 minutes.
For the seasoning, mix 4 tablespoons of rice vinegar (if you don’t have any, you can use apple cider vinegar or regular table vinegar), 2 tablespoons of hot water, 1.5 tablespoons of sugar, and 0.5 teaspoons of salt. Stir this mixture well; it will become clear once everything has dissolved.
Once the rice has steamed under the towel and lid, remove the lid and, while it’s still hot, pour the vinegar dressing over it.
Gently mix from the edges toward the center, trying not to damage the grains. Then let the rice cool under the lid.
The cold rice is now ready for making sushi and rolls. To prevent it from sticking to your hands, wet your hands with cold water.
