How not to cook sushi rice

My first attempt at making sushi rice at home was a disaster. I started by grabbing a bag of the usual long-grain rice from the pantry and throwing it immediately into a saucepan.

I ignored my friend Andre’s instruction to first “wash” the rice. Huh? How stupid was that, I thought. When the rice had finished cooking, I scooped it straight out of the pot and onto a shiny piece of nori.

This was precisely the point at which my seaweed quickly melted into the rice along with my dream of making the perfect sushi rice.

The moral of my story? There are no shortcuts (aside from a good rice cooker). Take your time. Practice.

How to cook perfect rice

Getting the rice just right is so important I've divided this topic into two sections:

1. How to select and cook the rice
2. How to prepare and season your rice

Ingredients & Utensils

• 2 cups of short grain rice
• A large bowl to wash your rice
• A heavy medium-sized pot with a tight fitting lid

Choose the right rice!

All sushi recipes require short grain rice. Don’t even think about grabbing that big bag of Uncle Ben’s converted rice sitting in the cupboard.  

You know you have the correct type if the grains are uniform in size and somewhat transparent.

Wash your rice

This may seem like a chore, but it is necessary to remove talc and starch.

• Carefully measure 2 cups of raw short grain rice.
• Yields approximately 5 cups of cooked rice
• Wash the rice in a large bowl of cold water. Gently rub the grains together with your fingers. The water in your bowl will quickly turn a milky colour.
• Carefully tip your bowl to drain off the cloudy water.
• Fill your bowl with fresh water and repeat the process above until the water is almost clear.
• Place the rice in a sieve and let it drain for about an hour.

How to cook the rice

1. Place 2 cups of washed rice into a heavy saucepan
2. Add 2 cups of water
3. Make sure to put on a tight-fitting lid and bring to a boil on high.
4. Never remove the lid!
5. Turn heat to low and let your rice simmer for 15 minutes
6. Remove pot from heat.
7. Lift the lid and stretch a tea towel over the pot. Replace the lid and let the rice finish steaming for another 15 minutes.

Making sushi-zu

While you are waiting for the rice you can prepare your sushi-zu. This is the seasoned rice-vinegar solution used to flavour your sushi rice.

Watch a video demonstration

If you'd like to watch a video demonstration of how to cook and season your rice click here: Sushi Rice Video

Ideas for using left-over rice

Any rice that is going to be used for sushi should be eaten right away. However, there are times when you'll have left-over portions. It would be a shame to waste it! Click on the following link to see my recipe for left over rice with green tea: