Japanese · Main
Sushi
Body-temperature, mirror-glossed sushi rice with balanced awasezu — the platform every sushi course stands on
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- Japanese short-grain rice — 500 g
- Cold water — 540 ml
- Kombu — 5 g
- Rice vinegar — 90 ml
- Caster sugar — 45 g
- Fine salt — 15 g
Method
- Warm vinegar, sugar and salt to 50°C until dissolved; steep a corner of kombu in it; cool (awasezu).
- Wash rice to near-clear water; drain 15 minutes, soak in measured water 30 minutes with kombu.
- Cook: boil hard 7 minutes, minimum flame 12 minutes, rest 15 minutes off heat, lid never lifted.
- Turn rice out onto a wide wooden or plastic tray; remove kombu.
- Pour 130 ml awasezu over the paddle onto the rice; cut and fold at 45°, fanning, until grains are glossy and steam stops — about 4 minutes.
- Rest under a damp cloth at room temperature; use within 4 hours at body temperature. Never refrigerate.