The basis of every good sushi is the sushi rice. Real sushi rice is a very starchy short grain rice. Before cooking you have to rinse the rice to get rid of the extra starch coating the rice. Next the rice is boiled carefully. But it really becomes sushi rice when it is seasoned with a mixture of rice vinegar, salt and sugar, the so called sushi zu. After that you can use the rice to make tasty maki rolls or a very basic nigiri sushi. We will present you one or two very different recipes how to use sushi rice in the near future. But first things first. Let’s start with the basic sushi rice recipe.
SUSHI RICE RECIPE
Ingredients for 2 servings of sushi (about 0,70 Euros each):
- 250 g sushi rice
- 50 ml rice vinegar
- 15 g salt
- 40 g sugar
Preparation
1. Rinse the sushi rice in a fine-mesh strainer with cold water until the water becomes clear. Cook according to package instructions. For that usually the rice is cooked in water (ratio 1:1,2 – 1:1,5) on high heat until the water is boiling. Then lower the heat to a minimum and cover the pot.
2. While the sushi rice is simmering you can prepare the sushi zu. Heat (don’t boil!) the rice vinegar with salt and sugar in a small saucepan and stir until salt and sugar have dissolved. Let the mixture cool down again.
3. Put the sushi rice in a large bowl, pour over the sushi zu and gently mix everything. If you want to prepare your sushi later that day, you can cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel now so the rice stays fresh.
