Sushi

From:http://japanesefood.about.com/od/sushiforbeginner/r/sushirice.htm

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Japanese rice
• 3 1/4 cups water
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt

Preparation:

Put the rice in a large bowl and wash it with cold water. Repeat washing until the water becomes almost clear. Drain the rice in a colander and set aside for 30 minutes. Place the rice in rice cooker and add water. Let the rice soak in the water at least 30 minutes. Start the cooker. When rice is cooked, let it steam for about 15 minutes.

Prepare sushi vinegar (sushi-zu) by mixing rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a sauce pan. Put the pan on low heat and heat until the sugar dissolves. Cool the vinegar mixture.

Spread the hot steamed rice into a large plate or a large bowl. Please use a non-metallic bowl to prevent any interaction with rice vinegar. It's best to use a wooden bowl called sushi-oke. Sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice and fold the rice by shamoji (rice spatula) quickly. Be careful not to smash the rice. To cool and remove the moisture of the rice well, use a fan as you mix sushi rice. This will give sushi rice a shiny look. It's best to use sushi rice right away.

Makes 4-6 servings.

2nd R:Prep the Sushi Rice

And the first ingredient is of course sushi rice. A special medium-grain rice, it's beautifully pearlescent. We're going to need 2 cups of that. Very important we're going to rinse that in a strainer very well for a few minutes, and then we're going to let that drain and dry for 1 hour.

Cook the Sushi Rice

After an hour pour, the rice in a heavy bottomed pot with a lid, and add 2 1/4 cups water. Bring that to a simmer and set you timer for 10 minutes. So we're going to cook that covered for 10 minutes on low heat.

Mix the Rice Vinegar

While we're waiting I'm going to get the rice vinegar ready. I have 1/4 cup of seasoned rice vinegar. You can make your own by using a 1/4 cup of regular rice vinegar, 1 1/2 tbsp of sugar, and 1 tsp of salt. Mix it until it dissolves.