Seasoned Sushi Rice (Sumeshi)
- If you want to make sushi rice yourself, choosing the right type of rice is important. A top quality is Koshihikari rice, a short grain rice.
- Attention: Significantly less water is used to cook the sushi rice than is usual for other rice recipes.
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Sushi rice is seasoned and flavored after cooking. For this, you can either use pre-seasoned sushi vinegar ("Sushi Su") or unseasoned rice vinegar and season it yourself according to your own preferences. About 10-12% of the cooked rice mass is needed in rice vinegar. Salt, sugar, and possibly kombu seaweed are used as seasonings. Depending on personal preference, more or less rice vinegar can be added.
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Ideally, the rice vinegar should be mixed into the rice while it is still warm.
Ingredients for 12 sushi:
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200 g short-grain rice for sushi (e.g., Koshihikari rice)
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50 ml rice vinegar (either unseasoned or already seasoned for sushi)
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20 ml caster sugar
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1 tsp salt
Buy sushi rice:
Travel vinegars purchased by Japanese sushi masters:
- Kinsho Sushimeister Rice Vinegar (unseasoned rice vinegar)
- Edomae rice vinegar (seasoned rice vinegar)
- Restaurant Midori Sohonten Rice Vinegar (intensely spiced rice vinegar)
Buy simple seasoned rice vinegar:
Cooking utensils:
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Sieve or pot
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Deep shallow pan with lid; alternatively rice cooker
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Small bowl and large flat bowl
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Spatula (or originally Japanese: Shamoji)
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fan
Buy sushi utensils:
Production
1. Wash the Sumeshi short-grain rice in a sieve with plenty of water until the water remains clear. Or cover it with water in a pot and mix with your hand. This releases excess starch from the rice grains. Repeat 3-4 times until the water is no longer cloudy. Let it drain for about 20-30 minutes. Rinsing the rice washes away excess starch, which would otherwise make the rice too sticky.
2. Put rice into a small deep pan with 25–30% more water than rice (e.g., 250 ml water for 200 g rice). Cover the pan with a lid and bring the rice with water to a boil over high heat.
3. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. The rice should have absorbed the water by now. Remove from the heat and let it rest for about 10 minutes with the lid still closed (the rice will continue to steam during this time).
4. If you want to determine the sugar and salt content of the rice yourself: In a small bowl, carefully mix unseasoned rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Warm slightly if necessary to help the sugar dissolve better (but do not let it boil).
5. Place the rice in a large, moist bowl, layering it no higher than about 5 cm. Add your own or store-bought rice vinegar mixture. Pour the mixture over the rice and gently fold it in with a spatula. Be careful not to crush the rice grains. At the same time, fan air over it so that the steam escapes more quickly. The rice is ready when all the steam has disappeared. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let it rest until further use.
