ilyadaysRecipes

Sushi

Sushi rice (shari)

The rice under every nigiri and roll. It gets less water than plain rice because it still has to drink the seasoning, and the seasoning goes on while the rice is hot, cut in with a paddle — never stirred — while you fan off the steam.

1 batch · ~660 g, 3–4 servings (2 rice-cooker cups raw)~1½ h incl. 20–30 min soaking
Sushi rice (shari)

Mise en place — set out in the order it goes in

  1. Rice
    Ricewashed, drainedStep 4
  2. Kombu
    Kombuwiped, not rinsedStep 4
  3. Sushi-zu
    Sushi-zu
    • vinegar
    • sugar
    • salt
    Step 6
  4. Tub + paddle + fan
    Tub + paddle + fantub and paddle wiped dampStep 7

Prep order — what happens when, and what overlaps

minutes
01020304050607080
Rinse, wash ×3 5 min
Drain 2 min
Soak with kombu 25 min
25 min
Cook (pot: boil + 12–13 min low) 20 min
20 min
Warm the sushi-zu 4 min
Rest, lid on 10 min
10 min
Spread, season 3 min
Cut + fan to body temp 10 min
10 min
Bowl / counterHands-offPan / stove

Pot timings shown; a rice cooker takes longer, but you're free while it runs. Make the seasoning any time before the rice is done.

Step by step

  1. Level the cup with a finger — 180 ml is 150 g of rice.
    Level the cup with a finger — 180 ml is 150 g of rice.
    Cover with water and pour it straight off.
    Cover with water and pour it straight off.

    1Measure and quick-rinse

    1 min

    For this step

    • Japanese short-grain white rice300 g
    • Level off the rice in a rice-cooker cup (180 ml = 150 g) and tip it into a large bowl.
    • Add just enough water to cover and pour it off straight away — the dry grains drink the first, dirtiest water fastest.
    Measure and quick-rinse
    Should look like this
  2. Swirl the grains with your fingertips in almost no water.
    Swirl the grains with your fingertips in almost no water.
    Fill, pour the cloudy water off at once — three times.
    Fill, pour the cloudy water off at once — three times.

    2Wash and rinse — three times

    ~4 min
    • With almost no water in the bowl, swirl the grains with your fingertips for 10–15 seconds.
    • Cover with water and pour the cloudy water off at once.
    • Repeat twice more, until the water is almost clear.
    Wash and rinse — three times
    Should look like this
  3. Shake the sieve to drain well.
    Shake the sieve to drain well.

    3Drain well

    2 min

    Tip the rice into a fine-mesh sieve and shake off as much water as you can.

    Drain well
    Should look like this
  4. Wipe the kombu with a damp cloth — keep the white bloom.
    Wipe the kombu with a damp cloth — keep the white bloom.
    Water 1 : 1 by volume, kombu on top, soak 20–30 minutes.
    Water 1 : 1 by volume, kombu on top, soak 20–30 minutes.

    4Water and kombu, then soak

    20–30 min

    For this step

    • Water360 ml
    • Kombu (optional)1 piece
    • Put the rice in the rice-cooker bowl or pot and add the water — 1 : 1 by volume. In a rice cooker, fill to the Sushi line if it has one; on White Rice, just under the line.
    • Wipe the kombu with a damp cloth (don't rinse off the white powder — it's flavour) and lay it on top.
    • Soak 20–30 minutes.
    Water and kombu, then soak
    Should look like this
  5. Cook

    5Cook

    medium → low~25 min (pot)
    • Rice cooker:
      • Sushi setting if it has one, otherwise White Rice.
    • Pot:
      • Lid slightly ajar, bring to a boil over medium heat.
      • Once it boils, lid on tight, low heat for 12–13 minutes. Don't lift the lid.
      • Off the heat, lid still on, 10 minutes more.
  6. Make the sushi-zu

    6Make the sushi-zu

    medium~3 min
    • Warm in a small pan over medium heat, whisking:
      • rice vinegar, unseasoned 4 tbsp (60 ml)
      • sugar 2 tbsp
      • kosher salt (diamond crystal) — or half as much fine salt 1 tsp
    • Take it off as soon as the sugar has dissolved and it's nearly simmering. (Microwave: about 1 minute.)
    • Use it warm or at room temperature — cold seasoning doesn't soak in evenly.
  7. Wipe the tub so it's damp, not wet.
    Wipe the tub so it's damp, not wet.
    Turn the hot rice into the tub and spread it out.
    Turn the hot rice into the tub and spread it out.

    7Into the tub

    1 min
    • Wet the hangiri (or a wide bowl or baking sheet) and wipe it so it's damp, not wet.
    • Lift out the kombu. Turn the hot rice into the tub and spread it out with the paddle.
    Into the tub
    Should look like this
  8. Pour the sushi-zu over the paddle so it spreads evenly.
    Pour the sushi-zu over the paddle so it spreads evenly.

    8Pour the seasoning over the paddle

    30 s

    While the rice is still hot, pour the sushi-zu over it, running it off the paddle so it spreads evenly instead of pooling in one spot.

    Pour the seasoning over the paddle
    Should look like this
  9. Paddle at 45°: slice through the rice — don't stir.
    Paddle at 45°: slice through the rice — don't stir.
    Fan hard as you go — it gives the shine.
    Fan hard as you go — it gives the shine.

    9Cut it in and fan

    ~10 min
    • Hold the paddle at about 45° and slice through the rice in strokes — stirring crushes the grains into paste.
    • Fan hard as you go: it drives off steam and gives the shine.
    • Every few strokes, gently turn a paddleful over.
    • Stop when the rice is glossy and about body temperature.
    Cut it in and fan
    Should look like this
  10. Cover with a damp towel; use within a few hours.
    Cover with a damp towel; use within a few hours.

    10Keep it covered

    • Lay a damp towel over the rice and use it at room temperature within a few hours.
    • Not the fridge — cold makes it hard.
    • Leftovers freeze for up to a month.
    Keep it covered
    Should look like this

Based on: Just One Cookbook — How to make sushi rice · Just One Cookbook — Japanese rice in a pot on the stove