The art of cooking sushi rice
Plump, firm, moist, and slightly sticky… That’s right, we’re talking about the perfect sushi rice.
Sushi has evolved from being a process of preserving fish in the 3rd century into a modern delicacy you can enjoy on the go or sit down and indulge in. Here at Yamamori we have worked to create and discover ways to bring you this staple with impactful flavours that look good on your plate but also taste great on your palette.
However, we know you're not always able to make it in to visit us and enjoy our sushi, so we are bringing you the steps we take to cook the perfect sushi rice at home. You can forget past incidents where you've ended up with crushed dreams and soggy rice by following our easy method below.
Sushi At Home
Ingredients list:
Sushi rice (You'll want white rice with a super-short grain, specifically labeled sushi rice)
Rice vinegar, Salt, Sugar or (Sushi Seasoning)
Nori
Nori mat
Wasabi
Smoked salmon
Cream cheese
Cucumber
Prawns (ready cooked)
Avocado
Mayo
Add a little something you like!
1. The Rice
Cook and mix the rice 90 minutes before making your rolls.
Assemble rice vinegar, salt, and sugar
Sushi rice gets a boost of flavor from rice vinegar. (Don't accidentally buy the seasoned kind, though—it often contains unnecessary added sugar.)
Rinse the rice
Place your rice in a bowl and wash it in several changes of cold water, until the water is clear and not murky. Then, strain the rice using a mesh sieve. Please do not skimp on the draining. it is very important to lose all the washing water.
Cook the rice
You'll use an even 1:1 ratio (500 mls of rice to 500 mls of water) of rice to water (i.e. one cup of water per one cup of sushi rice). If you want to boost umami even further, you can replace 2 tablespoons of the water with 2 tablespoons of sake.
Steam it in a Rice Cooker:
Follow the instructions on your rice cooker. Generally, you'll add the quantity of rice you'd like to use and the appropriate quantity of water to the liner bowl of your rice cooker. We recommend 500ml of rice and 500ml water. This will make enough rice for around 6 large rolls. Close the lid and set the timer for the rice cooker according to its instructions. Let the rice rest in the covered cooker for 10 minutes. Then, use the rice cooker's fluffing paddle to fluff the rice. Let it sit another 5 minutes before adding your seasoning.
Don't have a rice cooker?
Make sushi rice on the stovetop! Fill a saucepan with the appropriate amount of water(500ml rice, 500ml water). Then, add the rice.Turn the heat on your stove to medium-high. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. When the water begins to boil, reduce the heat to simmer and continue cooking the rice until all of the water is absorbed into the grains. For 2 cups of sushi rice in 2 cups of water, this will take about 20 min-When all of the liquid is absorbed, turn the heat off. Keep the rice covered in the pot and let it stand for another 10 minutes.
2. Make the sushi vinegar
While the rice is resting in the covered pot, make the sugar and vinegar mixture. If you bought ready mixed sushi seasoning, skip this step. The vinegar ratio: Use about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 1/4 teaspoons sugar, and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt per cup of (dry) rice you're cooking.
Combine the vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Turn the heat to medium and let the mixture simmer just until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Make sure not to let the mixture boil. When the sugar and salt are dissolved, turn off the heat.
Optional: If you're using kombu, add a 3-by-2 inch piece (per cup of rice) of the kelp to the vinegar mix-ture while it's in the saucepan and then remove it once the salt and sugar dissolve. Alternately, you can add the kombu to the rice-cooking pot.
3. Prep your fillings
Cut your cucumber in half lengthwise and then both pieces in half lengthwise again so you have 4 full length strips. Lay your cucumber skin side down and slide your knife under the seeds and remove.
Open your avocado, remove the seed and peel. Try to cut the avocados in wedges, 6 slices per half avocado.
Mix your wasabi mayo, start with 1/2 tsp wasabi to 2 tbsp mayo. Adjust if it does not meet your taste.
Open your smoked salmon and cut it into long strips.
4. Dress the rice
After the rice has cooled for five minutes, transfer your sushi rice from the saucepan to a large mixing bowl using a spatula or flat wooden spoon. Try not to smash the rice; your goal is to fluff it but not break apart the grains, which would make it gummy.
When steam stops rising from the heap, begin to driz-zle the vinegar mixture very slowly over the rice, continuing to toss it. Taste as you go; you may not need all of the vinegar mixture that you've made. Keep tossing the rice gently until it's at room tem-perature. It will develop a nice sheen from the vinegar and sugar mixture when it's finished.
You can make sushi rice up to a few hours in advance. Cover it with a clean, damp towel, and leave it on the counter at room temperature. Refrigeration might cause the rice to dry out, so we recommend making the exact amount you want to eat and finishing it that day for optimal results.
Once you master this easy method, you can use the rice to make sushi, or simply eat it in a bowl with whatever toppings you'd like.
If cooking sushi at home still feels like a hurdle then take a look at how you can enjoy our sushi from the comfort of your couch with our pickup, takeaway and delivery services.
