Today we are going to focus on one of the pillars of Japanese cuisine, namely rice. Cooking Japanese rice is an essential element to have very good sushi. We will see in this article how to prepare it well, the necessary ingredients, as well as the essential cooking utensils.
- The choice of sushi rice
- Cooking sushi rice in a pressure cooker
- Cooking sushi rice in a pan, pot or stewpot
- Tips for cooking sushi rice
- After cooking sushi rice
Choosing sushi rice
For the japanese rice for the rice, we advise you to use special sushi rice sold in shops. You can easily find it today in supermarkets and organic stores. Indeed, it is a round white rice with short grain, its texture is ideal to cook sushi a little sticky with the desired firmness.
If you have an Asian or Japanese grocery store, we advise you to use sushi rice directly from Japan. However, if you can’t find any, you can use round risotto rice. You should know that rice from Italy is also of good quality.
Before cooking rice, wash your rice well several times until the rinse water is clear. You can then let it rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour in a bowl filled with water and then drain it to finally cook it. You will see that your rice will be even softer.
Cooking sushi rice in a pressure cooker
Rice pressure cookers are becoming more and more sophisticated and now have many functions. Personally, we use it every day to make the rice cooker of the Japanese brand Zojirushi to make our own sushi. There is also a special sushi option. We really find the taste of rice like in Japan! The advantage of a pressure cooker is that you don’t need to watch the cooking. You can also add other ingredients to flavor your rice
After attention because all the pressure cookers are not equal. We have tested many of them and have been cooking with them daily for years. This model is really the best we have had. The rice is always delicious, does not dry out and has the perfect texture every time.
Cooking sushi rice in a pot, Dutch oven or stockpot
You can also cook your sushi rice in a pot with a lid, in a stewpot or in an earthen pot with a lid. We recommend you to see our sushi rice recipe made in a pan. This method of cooking requires you to keep a close eye on the cooking process.
Tips for cooking sushi rice
You can also add 2 tablespoons of sake and 1 piece of 10 cm konbu seaweed during the soaking step mentioned above. Then you can cook it with the konbu, your sushi rice will cook faster and have a much better texture!
After cooking the sushi rice
Immediately after cooking, the sushi rice should be left to rest for a while and then stirred with a rice spatula so that the excess steam dissipates. Then it should be poured into a hangiri (large wooden bowl) or onto a wooden board. Pour the vinegar mixture (4 tablespoons of vinegar, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt). Then mix the rice with your spatula while fanning it until the rice grains have absorbed all the vinegar and are shiny.
Cover it with a damp cloth and do not put it in the refrigerator.
You can then cook your sushi or even directly in the hangiri if you have prepare a delicious chirashi suhis directly in the hangiri if you have guests! This dish will delight and surprise them!
Cooking sushi rice is a key step in the success of your sushi and all your Japanese dishes. It takes time but the result makes the difference. So get ready and enjoy!
