In order to make sushi, we first need to prepare Sushi Rice by adding vinegar, sugar and salt to cooked rice. The recipe for this vinegar mix varies depending on the region or the chef, so you don’t need to be precise when measuring the ingredients, just use your pallets to find the right combination for your taste! Alternatively, instead of making a vinegar mix on your own, you can also buy a ready-made product, sold as “Sushi vinegar“, which is widely available outside Japan these days.
Cooking time: 5 mins + Rice cooking time
INGREDIENTS (2 Servings)
- Rice vinegar: 20g (4 tsp)
or apple vinegar and add 1g of sugar - Sugar: 8g (2 tsp)
- Salt: 5g (1 tsp)
- Cooked rice*: 300g (see “How to Cook Rice“)
*1 When you cook rice to make sushi, reduce the amount of water by 10% (as we will add vinegar later).
*2 One rice cup of uncooked rice (150g) should yield about 300g of rice (=2 servings). See below.
BEFORE YOU START
Q. Do I need special sushi rice?
No, and in fact there is no such thing as rice especially grown for sushi. In Japan we use ordinary Japanese rice (short grain) for sushi and all other dishes. The Japanese short grain rice is sometimes labeled as “Sushi rice” outside of Japan, but what it really means is that it is Japanese short grain rice. (See “How to Cook Rice” to read about Japanese vs non-Japanese rice.)
Q. What is a rice cooker cup?
The Japanese cooking cup measure (200ml) is smaller than the US one (250ml), and there is even a special cup used exclusively to measure rice and sake (180ml/150g – see the picture)! So when we say “Rice cup” or “Rice cooker cup“, we are talking about 180ml/150g of rice, which doubles when cooked (300g) and makes about 3 rolls of sushi (= 2 servings).
Q. What if I don’t have a rice cup?
Not a big deal. Remember, you can use any cup to measure the rice as long as you use the same cup to measure the water. You just need to know how much rice will be enough for you. Just to give you an idea, my Dannon yogurt cup holds more or less the same as the rice cup, so is good for 2 small servings. A Coca Cola can hold more or less double the amount, so it’s good for a family of four.
Q. What if I can’t find rice vinegar?
No worries, I have been there! Rice vinegar is not widely available outside Japan. You have two choices: (1) just buy a ready-mix sushi vinegar, which is easier to find these days; or (2) use apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar) and add a hint of sugar (1-2g) as apple vinegar is usually more acidic and less sweet.
NOW, LET’S START!
2. Spread the vinegar over the rice. In a bat or flat bowl, spread the vinegar mix over the rice4 evenly, and gently mix it with rice in a “slicing” motion (i.e., try your best not to break the grains).
3. Cool the rice. Cover the rice with a wet towel (so that it won’t dry up) and cool it down to body temperature (lukewarm) before you start making sushi.
The formula I used here, the 4:2:1 ratio (Vinegar:Sugar:Salt), is the one favored in eastern Japan (Tokyo). People in the western region (Osaka) seem to prefer it a little sweeter, about 4:3:1. So if you want to try the sweeter, western version, feel free to add more sugar. Adding dashi to the sushi vinegar will also add umami to the sushi rice!
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