Sushi-meshi (酢飯, vinegared rice)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Rice cooker or heavy pot with a tight lid
• •Hangiri (wooden sushi rice tub), or a wide glass, ceramic, or wooden bowl
• •Shamoji (rice paddle)
• •Uchiwa fan, or a folded paper fan

Instructions

1. 1

   Wash the rice

   Put the rice in a bowl, cover with cool water, and stir quickly with your fingers. Pour off the cloudy water at once, then wash by gently rubbing the grains together and rinsing until the water is almost clear, four or five changes. The first water carries loose starch and stale surface flavors, so don't let the rice sit in it. Clean rice cooks clean.

2. 2

   Soak and drain

   Cover the washed rice with fresh water and soak for 20 minutes, then drain in a sieve for 10 minutes. Soaking lets the grain hydrate evenly from edge to center, and draining keeps you from accidentally adding extra water. Sushi rice should cook firm because it still has vinegar to receive.

   If the center of the grain stays dry, the cooked rice can feel hard in the middle. If it goes into the pot dripping wet, it turns soft. Both mistakes are small, but rice notices small things.
3. 3

   Cook it firm

   Put the drained rice and cooking water in a rice cooker or heavy pot. Lay the konbu on top if using. Cook until done, then let the rice rest covered for 10 minutes. The rest finishes the grain gently and steadies the moisture. Remove and discard the konbu before dressing, because its work is done and the rice should taste like rice, not kelp.

4. 4

   Make sushi-zu

   While the rice cooks, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Stir until dissolved, or warm it very gently without boiling. This is sushi-zu, the vinegar seasoning. Dissolving the salt and sugar first means the rice receives one even seasoning, not sharp pockets of salt and sweet.

5. 5

   Dress while warm

   Turn the hot rice into a dampened hangiri, the shallow wooden tub used for sushi rice, or a wide non-metal bowl. Pour the sushi-zu over the paddle so it scatters across the rice instead of striking one place. Dress the rice while it is hot because warm grains drink evenly; cold rice only wears the vinegar on its surface.

   A hangiri absorbs excess moisture and gives the rice space. A wide glass, ceramic, or wooden bowl works too. Avoid a narrow bowl, where the rice steams itself soft.
6. 6

   Fold and fan

   With a rice paddle, cut through the rice, lift, and turn it over in broad strokes while fanning with your other hand, or ask someone to fan for you. Do this for 5 to 7 minutes, until the rice is glossy, separate, and cooled to body temperature. The cutting motion seasons without crushing. The fanning cools the rice fast enough to hold its shape and leaves a sheen on every grain.

7. 7

   Hold properly

   Gather the rice lightly, cover with a damp cloth, and keep it at room temperature until you use it. Don't refrigerate it before shaping sushi. Cold makes the starch firm and dull, and the rice loses the tenderness you just worked for. Use it within a few hours.

Chef Tips

• •Use Japanese short-grain rice, not long-grain and not jasmine. The grain has the right starch to cling gently without turning gluey, which is the whole character of sushi-meshi.
• •Seasoning strength changes with the sushi you plan to make. For nigiri, this balance is quiet. For maki with nori and fillings, you can use the full amount of sushi-zu so the rice still speaks through the wrapper.
• •Wet your paddle and fingertips with lightly vinegared water when handling the finished rice. Water alone works, but a little vinegar keeps the surface clean and discourages sticking.
• •Do not pack sushi rice hard. Whether it becomes nigiri, maki, or chirashi, the grains should hold together and still have air between them. Pressed dead, rice tastes smaller.

Advance Preparation

• •The sushi-zu can be mixed up to one week ahead and kept covered at room temperature if the salt and sugar are fully dissolved.
• •Cooked sushi-meshi is best the day it is made. Hold it covered with a damp cloth at room temperature for up to 4 hours.
• •Do not refrigerate sushi-meshi before shaping. If leftovers must be kept, wrap them well and use them the next day for chirashi or inari, knowing the texture will be firmer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 275g)