Master Sushi Rice Recipes

MASTER RECIPE FOR SUSHI RICE

Steps:

• Step 1: Rice and Water Proportions, Rinsing, and Cooking
• The proper rinsing of the rice is important for its final flavor and appearance. Pour the rice into a fine-mesh strainer, large enough so you can freely toss and turn the grains. Have at hand a larger bowl into which the strainer can easily fit and fill it with cold tap water. Pour the rice into the strainer, then lower the strainer into the large bowl so that the water covers the rice. With both hands, gently rub, turn, and toss the rice. Do not press the grains too hard against the strainer or against one another, or the fragile grains may break, especially if you are using a lower grade of rice. The water will instantly turn milky white, so remove the strainer from the large bowl, discard the water, and refill the bowl with fresh cold water. Return the rice-filled strainer to the bowl and repeat. On the second rinsing, the water will look only slightly milky. Repeat once or twice more. When you have finished, the water will be almost clear, but do not expect 100 percent clarity. Drain the rice and let it sit in the strainer for 10 minutes.
• Transfer the rice to a heavy-bottomed pot that is deeper than it is wide and has a heavy, tightly fitting lid (during cooking, rice swells to as much as two and a half times its original volume, so your pot should be at least three times deeper than the level of the rice and water), add the water, and let it sit for 20 minutes.
• Set the rice over medium heat and cook, uncovered, until the water is nearly absorbed by the rice-about 10 minutes. Quickly reduce the heat to very low, cover the pot with the lid, and cook until the rice is plump and cooked through-another 10 minutes. The exact cooking time depends on the heaviness of the pot, the level of the heat, and the quantity and condition of your rice. After a total of 20 minutes' cooking, take a quick look: the rice should be completely transparent. If you see any dry, very white-looking grains, sprinkle a little warm water over the dry spots and cook another couple of minutes or so over very low heat. During the cooking, never stir the rice.
• After confirming that all the rice gains are transparent, immediately put the lid back on before the built-up steam can escape. Turn off the heat and let the rice stand for 5 minutes.
• Cooking Rice Using a Rice Cooker
• If you own a rice cooker, follow these guidelines. Use the cup that came with your rice cooker, which is about four-fifths the volume of a U.S. cup.
• Omit the usual presoaking; it makes the rice too tender when you are using a rice cooker. Don't follow the usual water line in the bowl of your rice cooker. Instead, use the guidelines above.
• Today, some rice cookers have a special built-in sushi rice cooking function. If using, add water to the level designated for cooking sushi rice. Cook the rice according to the manufacturers instructions, usually for 50 minutes.
• Step 2: Sushi Vinegar Dressing and Sushi Rice Preparation
• While the rice is cooking, put the rice vinegar, salt, and sugar in a bowl and stir with a whisk until the sugar and salt are almost dissolved.
• If you are using a Japanese sushi-oke (wooden sushi tub) and shamoji (flat wooden paddle), soak them in a bath of cold water for half an hour while the rice is cooking (dry wood will absorb a good portion of the sushi vinegar dressing, and the rice will stick to the wood). Grain the water and wipe the tub and paddle with a dry kitchen towel. If you are using a large unfinished wooden salad bowl, moisten it just before using (soaking for a long time might cause it to crack). Other bowls made of metal, glass, or porcelain can be substituted, but they tend to make the sushi rice watery, mushy, and lumpy.
• Transfer the steaming hot cooked rice all at once to the sushi tub or salad bowl. Quickly and gently break up the rice, crisscrossing it with the side of your paddle. Pour the prepared vinegar dressing evenly over it and, with the paddle, break up the lumpy clumps and turn the rice over, working one area at a time. Repeat once or twice until you can tell by looking that the vinegar dressing is roughly distributed throughout the rice. Push the rice toward one side of the tub.
• Now hold the paddle horizontally and insert the paddle into the rice in one area, then rapidly move it back and forth with many small stroked. By cutting into the rice this way, you are breaking up the clumps and pushing a portion of rice toward the opposite side of the tub. Now work on he remaining areas of the rice one at a time in the same way, until you have moved all of the rice to the other side of the tub. Rotate the tub or bowl 180 degrees and repeat the process. You can see at the end of the second "cutting" that each grain looks evenly plump, when all the vinegar dressing has been evenly absorbed. The whole procedure should take about 2 minutes. Whit a hand fan or with a magazine or folded newspaper, fan the rice for about 30 seconds. This quick fanning gelatinizes the surface of the rice to give it a glossy appearance and also cools it, helping the vinegar dressing to settle inside each grain. Sushi rice, if it is prepared in a large quantity, tends to remain rather hot, even after being fanned. If so, let it cool to a temperature of 104°F, covered with a moist kitchen cloth to prevent it from drying out.

MASTER SUSHI RICE

Steps:

• Wash rice at least 3 times or until water is clear. Fill rice cooker with water to about 1-inch over rice or use Mt Fuji method. I highly recommend a rice cooker -- there's a reason more than 2 billion people in Asia use them. Slowly heat vinegar, mirin and sugar until very hot but not boiling. Fold in 'su' (vinegar and sugar) with the hot rice, add enough so that the rice has a tart/sweet taste. Rice should be shiny, not mushy. Carefully clean inside rim of bowl with damp cloth, cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
• In a bowl, whisk together honey, mustard, lemon juice and oil. Add crab, herbs and minced shallot. Season with salt and pepper and check flavor.
• Lay nori, shiny side down on sushi mat and lightly pat on rice on bottom half of nori, 1/4 inch thick. Place crab filling 2/3 up on rice. Roll, moisten end to seal and let rest.
• In a bowl, mix flour with togarashi, or chili powder, and whisk in club soda until a pancake batter thickness is achieved. Dip the shrimp and scallions in the tempura batter and fry until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Lay the nori vertically with the shiny side down. Using wet hands, lightly place a 1/4-inch thick layer of rice on the bottom half of the nori. Place one shrimp and scallion fan diagonally across the rice from the top left corner to the bottom right. Lay daikon sprouts on top and add a touch of wasabi oil. Roll a cone by bringing the bottom left corner of the nori to half way up the right side edge then roll over. Moisten the top edge to glue. Repeat process.
• In a stainless steel bowl, whisk together wasabi, mirin and sugar. Add water until a loose puree is achieved. Whisk in oil. For extra heat, use less oil.
• Combine all the ingredients and reduce at a simmer until a syrup consistency is achieved, about a 60 to 70 percent reduction. Let cool.
• PLATING
• On a huge white platter, drizzle soy syrup, wasabi oil, sesame seeds, gari and scallions all over. Slice maki-sushi using both bias and straight cuts. Place hand rolls leaning against sushi. Enjoy.
• Wine Suggestion: Haru Junmai-Ginjo Sake

MARK BITTMAN'S SUSHI RICE

Steps:

• Combine vinegar, sugar and 2 tablespoons salt in a container and shake or stir until dissolved. Add konbu and let sit about 30 minutes before removing konbu and covering container. Let sit for at least 2 hours and up to several days. (Room temperature is fine.)
• Wash rice in several changes of water until water runs clear. Combine with sake, a pinch of salt, and 2 1/2 cups water (if you're using a rice cooker) or 3 cups water (if you're cooking it on stovetop). Cook until water is absorbed, 38 minutes in a rice cooker, about 25 minutes in a covered pot over medium-low heat.
• Turn rice into a large bowl, preferably wooden, and let cool for 15 minutes.
• Using a rubber spatula, a wooden paddle or spoon, gently fold sweetened vinegar into rice, a little at a time. You will probably need about 1/2 cup for this amount of rice, but a little bit less or more is fine. Rice should be glistening and moist but not wet, and sweet but not overly so. Use immediately with sushi toppings of your choice.

PERFECT SUSHI RICE

Steps:

• Rinse the rice in a strainer or colander until the water runs clear. Combine with water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Rice should be tender and water should be absorbed. Cool until cool enough to handle.
• In a small saucepan, combine the rice vinegar, oil, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Cool, then stir into the cooked rice. When you pour this in to the rice it will seem very wet. Keep stirring and the rice will dry as it cools.

SUSHI RICE

Steps:

• The most important thing to get right when cooking sushi rice is the ratio of rice to water. It's better to use a volume measure rather than weighing. Use a cook's 250ml measuring cup if you have one, or a short glass, teacup or small mug. Once you've made one batch, you'll know how much cooked rice that measure makes - it should be about 2½ cups.
• Measure out 1 cup rice into a saucepan, rinse the rice, swirling it around the pan, then drain off the water. Try not to lose any of the rice. Add 1½ cups water (about 375ml).
• Bring the rice to a simmer quickly, put on a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 13 mins - don't take the lid off.
• Check a couple of grains at the top - the rice should be just about cooked and the water evaporated. If not, continue to cook and check at 2 min intervals, each brand of rice will differ. Turn the heat off and leave the rice to stand with the lid on for 10 mins so all the moisture is absorbed. Add sushi rice seasoning, if you like, and serve.