My latest gyoza post was the first of five on a Japanese themed Cooking with Ma day. Yes, you heard right, I said five! That gives you another three to look out for.
After pressing all the gyoza, we got started on the rice (or gohan in Japanese). This was one of the most important dishes as it became the key ingredient for the sushi rolls and tofu pockets.
Ma uses Hideo Dekura‘s recipe from his book ‘Japanese Cooking at Home’.
Before you start you need: a wooden sushi bowl or wooden salad bowl, rice paddle or wooden spatula, hand fan or electric fan, muslin cloth or kitchen towel.
Sushi rice
4 cups sushi rice, cooked
Sushi vinegar mixture
1 cup rice vinegar
3 ½ Tbs caster sugar
Pinch of salt
- Wipe the inside of the wooden bowl with a damp cloth to moisten. Transfer the cooked rice from rice cooker into the centre of the sushi bowl.
- Prepare the sushi vinegar mixture by combining all ingredients in a bowl.
- Gradually pour sushi vinegar over rice, slicing paddle across the bowl to break up lumps. Mix rice evenly around the bowl with a slicing action. While mixing, cool the rice with a hand fan. This helps the rice absorb the vinegar mixture and creates a glossy surface on the rice.
- When the rice becomes lukewarm, cover with a damp muslin cloth.
- Keep the rice at room temperature. Do not refrigerate, as this dries out the sushi rice and causes the starch to break down.
- To colour sushi rice, use beetroot juice or black (coloured) rice for natural colour.
wow no wonder my sushi rice is never quite as good as the pros! interesting post, great tips i will have to try
It turns out really nice & glossy. It was easier than I expected too!
I’m so lame! I never even considered a recipe for rice… I just assumed it was made the same as other rice. This explains my pitiful attempts at sushi rice in the past!
Oh you should totally try it then! I’d love to hear how it turns out