Sushi Spectrum, Part 1 - Rice

This is the first of many articles that will explore the ins and outs of sushi!  The first article focuses on the core element of all sushi, the rice.

If you ask most people what makes sushi "sushi", the common belief is that it's raw fish.  Others may believe that the 'seaweed wrapper' is the trademark of sushi.  However, many sushi dishes include cooked fish, other meats or poultry, or only vegetables.  Some forms of sushi don't involve seaweed at all.  The one common ingredient across all forms of sushi, is the rice itself.

What sets sushi rice apart from other rice?  First off, short-grain white Japanese rice is ideal for sushi rice.  There are a number of properties in short-grain white Japanese rice that make it ideal.  Japonica rice has its own unique stickiness and texture that isn't found in long-grained Indica rice.  Japonica shouldn't be confused with Jasponica, a hybrid of long-grained Thai Jasmine and sticky Japanese rice.

White rice is created when rice is polished, removing not only the hull, but also the bran and germ.  If only the hull is removed, then it remains brown rice.  While brown rice has become popular in fusion cuisine, but traditional sushi utilizes polished white rice.

Cooking Sushi Rice
Only cook as much sushi rice as you need at one time.  While making up a big batch and storing it for later may seem tempting, rice does not refrigerate well, and it will spoil if it's simply left out.  Freezing rice is a complicated, hit-and-miss process, and will more than likely ruin your rice for sushi molding.

Step 1, Washing the Rice - The most commonly skipped step in preparing sushi rice is washing the rice itself.  This step removes the excess starch from the rice, which is very important.  Washing the rice needs to be done gently, because if the grains are broken to pieces, you'll wind up with a mush in the end.  This is fine if you're making congee (a watery Chinese rice gruel), but a disaster for sushi.

Measure out two cups of uncooked sushi rice.  This will make five cups of cooked rice in the end.  Place the uncooked rice in a large bowl in your sink, and pour in cold water to cover the rice.  Gently stir the rice with your hand, and you'll see that the water becomes cloudy very quickly.  Tip the bowl to pour out the cloudy water.  Personally, I use a fine mesh strainer to see that all of the milky water is drained without pouring any if my rice down the drain.  Repeat this process until the water is nearly clear.  It's my experience that the rice will be destroyed long before the water ever runs completely clear, there will always be a little cloudiness.

Step 2, Cooking the Rice - The easiest path is to dump it in a rice cooker and follow the provided instructions.  Follow the instructions that come with your rice cooker exactly!  Some rice cookers work best with a 1:1 ratio (one cup of water for every cup of rice), some rice cookers ask for something different.  If your rice cooker has a 'Quick Cook' mode, don't use it.  After the rice cooker has switched from 'cook' to 'warm', don't take it out immediately.  Let the rice sit on warm for about ten minutes to finish steaming.

When I asked for an electric rice cooker, my parents acted like it was just another kitchen gadget taking up counter-space we didn't have.  Still, they got me an Aroma 7-cup cooker with vegetable steamer for Christmas, and have never regretted.  Pa is thrilled to have Japanese food on a regular basis, and Ma has learned to use the steamer for a number of new dishes that have become favorites in our household.  It doesn't have to be an expensive rice cooker.  Mine has all of the features I wanted (a steamer, a glass lid, a rice paddle that rests in the handle), and only cost around $25.

Unfortunately, because of this, I never cook rice in a pot or saucepan.  There are lots of instructions on the internet, including videos on YouTube, so find the instructions that work best for you and your available equipment!  The most common instructions I found, suggested a 1:1 rice to water ratio in a sauce pan with a good fitting lid.  Bring the rice to a boil, then reduce it to simmer and cover the pan.  Allow it to simmer for ten minutes, then turn off the heat without removing the lid, and allow it to steam for an additional twenty minutes.

Step 3, Preparing the Tezu - While the rice is cooking, you can prepare your tezu.  You can also start the tezu early, to be certain it's finished in time to mix with the freshly steamed rice.  The tezu is the watery vinegar mixture that will coat your rice, and take it from "sushi rice" as an ingredient, to "sushi rice" as a finished food.  The most important ingredient is seasoned rice vinegar (awasezu).  The "seasoning" in seasoned rice vinegar is the addition of sake, salt, and sugar.  The kind of rice vinegar you use is very important, because rice vinegar from China, Korea, or Vietnam can have very different flavors.

Tezu is created by mixing 1/4 cup of seasoned rice vinegar, two tablespoons of sugar, and one teaspoon of salt.  Combine the mixture in a sauce pan, gently heating and stirring until the salt and sugar are disolved.  You can also microwave your vinegar if you like.

Step 4, Coating and Cooling - Once your rice is done cooking and steaming, you'll need to pour it into a large non-reactive dish.  Wood is traditional, but glass or ceramic can also be used.  Casserole dishes are excelent, because they have lots of space to spread the rice out over, allowing it to cool faster.  Sprinkle your tezu evenly over the rice.  Using a rice paddle (or a wooden spoon in a pinch!), carefully mix your rice.  In my experience, the best method is to 'cut' through the rice with the edge of the paddle, scooping the paddle under it and then flipping it over onto itself.  If you stir the rice too roughly or flatten it under your paddle, you'll break the grains and wind up with mush.  Think about stirring as if you were fluffing the rice.

While you're stirring it, the rice will cool, but you're going to want to cool it more quickly than it will naturally.  To do this, you'll need to fan it.  Using a hand fan (or a paper plate in a pinch), fan air over the rice with one hand while you stir with the other.  In my personal experience, I find a round uchiwa style fan best; instead of holding it by the handle, I hold it upside down, gripping the fan at the base where the handle attaches to the fan head.  Instead of swinging my entire arm, I can move the fan quickly with small wrist movements.  If your wrist becomes sore too easily, or you just find it too difficult, a small electric standing fan can be used in its place.  Just make sure it's clean, you don't want dust in your sushi!  This process will cool the rice, remove excess moisture, and when you're through you'll have lovely, shiney whole grains.  The rice will take on a flavor that is both acidic and sweet.

Your sushi rice is complete!  From here, you can begin making your sushi, which we'll discuss in later articles of the Sushi Spectrum series.  If you want to enjoy your sushi rice without having to roll sushi, you can always make chirashizushi.  Chirashizushi, meaning 'scattered sushi', is a bowl of sushi rice served with other fixings, either mixed (Kyoto-style) in or served artfully on top (Edo-style).  My favorite easy form of chirashizushi is to top it with surimi, an immitation crab meat that can be found in most grocery stores, and eat with sushi soy (a slightly less salty, delicate soy sauce made by Kikkoman).

Enjoy your sushi!