Method

You must use polished white rice for this.  If you can get Japanese short-grain rice which is a little sticky, that's best .  Rinse the rice by covering with cold water in a bowl and rubbing it in the water for 10 to 20 seconds. Toss out liquid.  Repeat this process three times, each time with fresh water. Drain and let drained rice stand in colander for one hour.

Cook rice with water, a piece of kombu

Prepare sushi vinegar by mixing rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small pan.  Put the pan on low heat and cook until the sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool. 

Spread the cooked hot rice into a large plate or a wooden salad bowl.  (if you have it, use a wooden bowl called sushi-oke) by spatula. Sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice and toss, toss, toss to cover every grain of rice.  Be careful not to smash the rice.

To cool and remove the moisture of the rice well, use a hand fan as you mix the rice. This will gelatinize the surface of the rice, giving it a shiny glossy appearance.   It's best to use it right away, but you can wait for a couple of hours by putting rice into a mound, and cover it with a moist kitchen cloth.  .

Yield: 6 cups of sushi rice.

Contributor: pat ciesla

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