If you don't have a rice cooker
(and you should -- you can buy one for under $15, and it will change
your life!), prepare rice on the stovetop according to package
directions. Makes 6 cups of cooked rice.
3 cups Nishiki or other medium-grain white rice
1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar (Marukan brand is widely available)
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
Pour rice into a sieve, and rinse under cold tap water, gently swishing the rice around with your fingers until the water is almost clear, 1 minute. (Do not overrinse, as you need to retain some starch in the rice.) To dry, spread the rice up and around the sides of the sieve, exposing as much of it as possible to the air. Let sit for about 30 minutes, until the rice is completely dry.
Place the rice and 4 cups water in a rice cooker, and set to Cook.
While the rice is steaming, make the dressing: In a small saucepan over low heat, stir the vinegar, sugar and salt until the sugar and salt dissolve. (or, you can microwave on High for 60 seconds). Do not let the mixture boil. Set aside to cool. If you’re making this ahead, pour into a screw-top jar and refrigerate.
When the rice is cooked, remove it to a sushi-oke or a large shallow wooden bowl, like a salad bowl, or large glass baking dish. Set the rice cooker insert aside -- you’ll be putting the rice back into it.
Spread out the hot rice with the edge of a paddle, evenly over the bottom of the bowl, in a slashing motion. Holding the paddle perpendicular to the rice, drizzle the dressing over the back of the paddle evenly over the rice surface. With the paddle, slice and fold the dressing through the rice until the grains are coated and glossy.
Place the dressed sushi rice back in the rice cooker and cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel to keep in the moisture. Click the cooker button on Warm. Sushi rice is easier to handle when it’s warm. It doesn’t have to be warm when you serve it, just when you’re forming the rolls.
3 cups Nishiki or other medium-grain white rice
1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar (Marukan brand is widely available)
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
Pour rice into a sieve, and rinse under cold tap water, gently swishing the rice around with your fingers until the water is almost clear, 1 minute. (Do not overrinse, as you need to retain some starch in the rice.) To dry, spread the rice up and around the sides of the sieve, exposing as much of it as possible to the air. Let sit for about 30 minutes, until the rice is completely dry.
Place the rice and 4 cups water in a rice cooker, and set to Cook.
While the rice is steaming, make the dressing: In a small saucepan over low heat, stir the vinegar, sugar and salt until the sugar and salt dissolve. (or, you can microwave on High for 60 seconds). Do not let the mixture boil. Set aside to cool. If you’re making this ahead, pour into a screw-top jar and refrigerate.
When the rice is cooked, remove it to a sushi-oke or a large shallow wooden bowl, like a salad bowl, or large glass baking dish. Set the rice cooker insert aside -- you’ll be putting the rice back into it.
Spread out the hot rice with the edge of a paddle, evenly over the bottom of the bowl, in a slashing motion. Holding the paddle perpendicular to the rice, drizzle the dressing over the back of the paddle evenly over the rice surface. With the paddle, slice and fold the dressing through the rice until the grains are coated and glossy.
Place the dressed sushi rice back in the rice cooker and cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel to keep in the moisture. Click the cooker button on Warm. Sushi rice is easier to handle when it’s warm. It doesn’t have to be warm when you serve it, just when you’re forming the rolls.