Just Sushi

Preparing and cooking the rice may be the most time consuming part of making sushi – but to make perfect sushi you need perfect sushi rice, and here’s how.

Firstly you need to hand rinse the rice in cold water and drain it. Repeat this several times until the water runs virtually clear off the rice. For the ultimate sushi rice, allow it to soak in clean cold water for around 15 minutes.

After the 15 minutes are up, add the rice to a saucepan (as most of us don’t have rice cookers). You need an even amount of water to rice.

Bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes on a high heat. After 10 minutes turn the heat down and allow to simmer with the lid on until the water has evaporated.

This will leave you with great sticky rice. You may even want to add kelp during the initial boiling phase to add flavour. Ensure you take it out once you’ve turned the heat down, though.

You don’t necessarily have to remove the rice from the saucepan straight away if you are busy preparing something else. You can leave it in the saucepan for up to 15 minutes with the lid still on, providing the heat is off.

Add rice vinegar to the rice once it’s cooked and tender. Be sure to spread the vinegar evenly and use a gentle chopping motion to cover every grain of rice.

Once this stage is complete, you will need to move the rice from the saucepan and into a shallow wooden bowl preferably, if not, use a bowl that’s non-reactive.

A shallow bowl will allow the rice to cool evenly. During the cooling process, you may want to add other spices or herbs. Ensure the rice is covered evenly with the seasoning by gently mixing it.
Your rice is now ready to go!