1 ½ cups water
For Vinegar
Mixture:
4 TBSP Japanese rice vinegar
2 TBSP sugar
½ tsp salt
Rinse rice thoroughly and discard the milky water. Keep
washing and changing the water until it is clear.
Put the washed rice and water in a heavy-bottomed
saucepan and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to boil over medium heat.
Resist the temptation to lift the lid, and listen for the sound of boiling
instead. Cook for 3-5 minutes more, and adjust the heat if the saucepan boils
over.
Reduce the heat to very low and simmer for 8-10 minutes,
then remove from the heat and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
Heat the ingredients for the vinegar mixture in a
non-aluminum saucepan, stirring until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Don’t
allow it to boil. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Transfer the cooked rice to a pre-soaked wooden rice tub
or salad bowl. Pour a little of the vinegar mixture over a spatula into the
rice.
Spread the rice evenly in the bowl. Slowly add a little
more of the vinegar mixture, using a slicing action to coat the grains of rice
and separate them.
Fan the rice gently to cool it. Continue to fold the vinegar
mixture into the rice with the spatula until it begins to look glossy and has
cooled to room temperature.
Spread the rice on a sheet of nori seaweed and roll it up,
along with different fillings, using a bamboo rolling mat.
Filling Ideas:
Cucumber, julienned
Cream cheese
Avocado
Shrimp
Crabmeat
Fish
Japanese omelet
Mayonnaise
Wasabi paste
Sprouts
Green Beans
Pickled Daikon
