Sushi rice

In Japan, young sushi chefs will spend years mastering this preparation alone, learning how to balance flavour, understand temperature and apply the correct pressure when forming the sushi. A fine art!

Sushi rice Credit: Adam Liaw

• makes

  6

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Use your sushi rice for nigiri by forming into a thumb-sized portion and placing a piece of sashimi ontop (pictured).

Ingredients

• 420 g (2 cups) Japanese koshihikari rice (sushi rice)
• 1 piece kombu (about 10 cm square)
• 60 ml (¼ cup) rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt

Instructions

1. Wash the rice and place in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water to about 2 cm above the level of the rice and add the kombu. Bring the water to a simmer over high heat, removing the kombu when the water stars to steam, and simmer until the water reaches the top of the rice (the rice will expand). Cover the pan and reduce the heat to very low. Allow the rice to cook for 12 minutes, then remove from the heat and stand, still covered for a further 5 minutes.
2. Add the salt and sugar into the rice vinegar in a small non - reactive saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Uncover the rice and turn out onto a large tray, wooden rice basin or bowl, then add the vinegar mixture a little at a time while fanning the rice and stirring with a cutting motion of a spatula. Continue to mix the vinegar mixture into the rice until the rice reaches body temperature.

 

Photography by Adam Liaw.

Want more from The Cook Up?

• Stream free here at SBS On Demand.

• Get the show recipes, articles and more here.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Use your sushi rice for nigiri by forming into a thumb-sized portion and placing a piece of sashimi ontop (pictured).