Recipe: Making Sushi Rice, or Sushi Meshi

Making Sushi Rice, or Sushi Meshi
Vinegared Rice for Sushi

To make 5 to 6 cups of cooked sushi rice, you need 2 cups raw rice (short or medium grain), cooked on the stovetop or in an electric rice cooker until light and fluffy. Before cooking, rinse the rice several times in running water until the water runs clear (this may take up to 10 rinsings).

If you're not sure how to cook rice, follow the basic boil/steam method . (Do not use the Western method of boiling the rice like pasta and draining it in a colander. In fact, don't ever use this method. It's insulting to the rice.)

After the rice is done, stir it with a chopstick to loosen the grains, then let it sit, covered, for about 10 minutes to steam.

If you have a bottle of sushizu, a pre-mixed vinegar and sugar item, you can use it. If not, heat the following ingredients, mixing until the sugar dissolves:

6 tablespoons Japanese rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons salt

While the rice is still warm, gradually sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice, fanning the rice as you go. Use a rice paddle with a cutting motion to mix the vinegar mixture into the rice without mashing the grains. The fanning produces the shiny gloss inherent in sushi rice. It takes about 10 minutes to fan the rice thoroughly. Proceed to shape the rice into sushi as desired. (Tip: When handling or shaping rice with your hands, wet your fingers with water to prevent the rice from sticking to them.)