Traditional Japanese cuisine has long ceased to be exotic. Now sushi and rolls can be enjoyed not only in sushi bars, you can cook this dish at home. Everything necessary ingredients and accessories are sold in specialized stores or supermarkets, there are many recipes on the Internet, but the first cooking experience is rarely successful: despite all the efforts, the rolls fall apart, and their taste is far from perfect. To avoid a culinary failure, you need to know a few important secrets, the main of which is how to cook rice for rolls correctly.

Many Russian housewives dream of cooking perfect japanese rolls

What should be the rice for rolls

Rice is the main component of sushi and rolls. If you digest it, the rolls will not retain their shape, and will taste like a nasty sticky porridge with a piece of vegetables and fish wrapped in nori. Undercooked, it will not stick together and ruin the dish. Unleavened rice cooked without special dressing will make sushi tasteless. When rice for rolls is cooked correctly, it does not contain excessive moisture, does not form dense lumps, the shape of the grain is not disturbed, but individual rice is easy to stick together. To achieve perfect result, the main thing is to choose well, and then cook the rice for the roll.

In Japan, rice varieties with short, rounded grains are preferred. It absorbs moisture well and contains a lot of starch, which provides the necessary stickiness. Traditional indian rice with a long, thin grain, perfect for pilaf and curries, but not suitable for rolls due to crumbling. Parboiled rice should not be used for the same reason - it is not sticky enough. The best choice would be special rice labeled "Sushi Rice" on the packaging, which is easy to buy in large supermarkets.

Rice for rolls should be white, round, with short grain

Experienced chef will be able to prepare excellent sushi and rolls from ordinary Krasnodar round-grain rice, which is often used even by professional chefs in restaurants and sushi bars. But it should be borne in mind that cheap cereals contain a large amount of rice husks and debris. Flush Krasnodar rice much more carefully than expensive varieties specially designed for cooking Japanese food... Poor-quality rice can also boil down into porridge, even if you followed the cooking technology exactly. It will not absorb the dressing from rice vinegar during cooking, the roll twisted from it will not soak soy sauce, a taste qualities and appearance the dishes will disappoint. If you do not have the opportunity to buy rice specially designed for cooking Japanese dishes, do not pursue cheapness, choose more expensive varieties so as not to lose in quality. Take a closer look at the color of the rice grains, they should be saturated white: Whiteness indicates a high starch content, while clarity indicates a reduced amount of gluten. Pay attention to the date of manufacture. Rice keeps well, but experienced chefs it is said that freshly harvested rice dishes are more aromatic and juicy.

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Choosing the best varieties

Japanese rice is a rarity and can only be bought in Japan. Our stores sell rice that is grown in China, Russia, Italy and the United States. There are quite a few varieties, and they all differ in properties and price.

• Ginshari is the most expensive variety. This is a product the highest quality grown in California. It is preferred by true connoisseurs of Japanese cuisine who are ready to pay a high price to satisfy their discerning taste.

Expensive ginshari created for discerning people

• Nishiki is also predominantly produced in the USA. It is somewhat inferior to the ginshari in terms of characteristics, but at the same time it is almost half the price. This variety was bred in Japan and is intended for rice cookers, which are very common among the Japanese, but a regular slow cooker will do just fine. It is very hard, contains a lot of gluten and forms loose lumps, convenient for forming rolls and sushi. Niche grains are slightly elongated, translucent, with a white starchy bloom. Those who follow the figure will delight nishiki reduced calorie content, which is only 277 kcal. For comparison, the ginshari and krasnodar round rice calorie content is 344 kcal per 100 g. Nishiki contains a large amount of coarse fiber, which helps to remove toxins from the body, improves digestion and stimulates weight loss.

Nishiki rice is great for rice cookers and multicooker

• Fushigon Premium, like Nishiki, originated in Japan, but it is grown in China. It is a very common variety with neat, round, white grains. In Japan, this grain shape is considered perfect and is called samurai rice. The Japanese, Koreans and Chinese prefer fushigon, which speaks for itself. As part of this rice, there are many micro and macro elements necessary for a person (iron, sodium, zinc, phosphorus, selenium, magnesium, potassium and calcium), vitamins of group B and PP, calorie content - 340 kcal.

Fushigon is very popular in East Asia.

• Okomesan - italian variety with a high starch content, its shortened white grains are opaque, almost round shape... They easily stick together and take in a lot of water, so if you calculate the amount of liquid incorrectly, you can get a homogeneous creamy porridge instead of individual sticky rice, which is necessary for making rolls and sushi. Okomesan is valued for its balanced composition of carbohydrates and high protein content, it is easily absorbed and protects the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract from irritation.

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Four ways to cook rice the right way

Japanese cooking school Is a perfect union of taste and aesthetic components. Any dish must be not only tasty, but also impeccably beautiful. Another feature is following traditions. The Japanese have strictly adhered to recipes for centuries. national cuisine, avoiding improvisation. What matters is not only the quantity, quality and proportions of the ingredients, but also the sequence of actions. Japanese chefs have been learning how to cook rice for about three years, because cooking in Japan has been elevated to the level of an art that can be fully appreciated true gourmet and connoisseur oriental cuisine... But you don’t have to chase the masters and spend years learning to please your family. delicious dish... The main thing is to choose good rice and observe the cooking technology, because even expensive rice can be spoiled if it is cooked incorrectly.

Properly cooked rice maintains the integrity of the grains and sticks well

First of all, you need to calculate the amount of cereals. After boiling, the rice will double in volume and weight. A kilogram pack of dry rice is usually enough for 16-18 sausages - blanks for rolls. One sausage after cutting will make up a portion of the rolls. On average, 2-3 servings are enough for an adult, so 350 gr is enough for a dinner for two persons. (about a third of the pack). Having decided on the volume of products, feel free to start cooking.

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Drying

We need: rice - 1 cup, water - 1.5 cups. Dressing: sugar - 1 tbsp. spoon, rice vinegar - 50 ml, salt - 1 tsp. Rinse the rice in cool water until it is completely clean, then drain through a colander. Spread on the table kitchen towel, and only the water will drain, gently distribute the rice in a thin layer over the fabric. The cereals are supposed to dry for 45-50 minutes. Pour water into a saucepan, add cereals there and cook on medium heat. Be sure to close the stewpan with a lid. After boiling, reduce the temperature to the limit and hold for fifteen minutes, then remove from the stove and simmer for a quarter of an hour.

Until the rice comes to full readiness, there is time to prepare the dressing. In a deep ladle, salt and sugar are poured into rice vinegar and heated over low heat, stirring slowly so that the grains dissolve faster.

Important! The dressing must not be boiled. Minimum heating is required: as soon as the salt and sugar dissolve, immediately remove the container from the heat.

Pour the dressing into warm rice and mix them carefully.

The dressing is poured into the rice on a shoulder in small portions

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With the addition of kombu seaweed

We take 1 glass of cereal, rinse. Let the well-washed rice stand in clear water for 45 minutes, then put it in a colander. Put wet rice in a pressure cooker or saucepan, add small piece kombu seaweed and 1.5 cups of water. Then we set to cook over high heat, tightly closing the container. During the cooking process, the seaweed will give the rice its aroma and taste, making it more piquant, but as soon as the water boils, the kombu must be pulled out so that the seaweed does not boil.

Important! If you have dry kombu seaweed in strips, be sure to wipe it down with a clean cloth before adding to remove any deposits and dust.

After the water has boiled, we reduce the heating to a minimum and keep the rice on fire for another ten minutes, then turn it off and wait a quarter of an hour so that the cereal is under closed lid reached readiness.

Now let's prepare the dressing. Take 4 tbsp. spoons grape vinegar, 3 tsp brown sugar and 1 teaspoon coarse salt... Mix the ingredients in a small saucepan, put on the stove and stir, heating until the grains disappear.

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In a multicooker

To find perfect recipe How to cook rice for rolls in a slow cooker, you will have to experiment, because the same mode works differently for different models. But when you find the right balance, cooking rice in a multicooker will become much easier than in a pressure cooker.

To prepare 200 g of rice groats, we take water - 250 milliliters. Wash the rice until the water is completely transparent. If you decide to use special rice for sushi and rolls, you need to hold it in water for about half an hour. Krasnodar round grain does not require soaking. Put the cereals in a bowl and run the "Rice" or "Buckwheat" program for 25 minutes. After turning off, let it brew for ten minutes. If such programs are not provided, put on 10 minutes. the "Baking" program, and then switch to the "Stew" mode for twenty minutes. Add the dressing to the cooked rice, stirring gently, refrigerate slightly.

Multicooker rice cooks quickly and easily

Important! Stir the rice very carefully. Vigorous stirring will break the integrity of the grains and turn them into a homogeneous mass.

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Recipe from the chef

The washed rice is placed in a container with a thick bottom and water is added at the rate of 1.2 liters of water per kilogram of rice. The container is placed on a strong fire, waiting for active boiling, then the heating is reduced to a minimum and continues to cook for another 12 minutes. Then it is turned off and left to simmer under a closed lid for 25 minutes. Be sure to try the rice 10-12 minutes after turning it off. If it feels dry and tough, add 15-30 ml. boiling water and close the lid. When 25 minutes are up, transfer the rice to a large bowl, add the dressing in small portions and stir to distribute the dressing evenly throughout the rice.

Many craftsmen add kombu seaweed to the dressing, believing that there it will reveal its qualities as much as possible. Here is a recipe from a sushi master: 540 gr. rice vinegar take a plate of dried seaweed combo or 0.5 teaspoon of Japanese ajinamoto seasoning, 180 grams of salt, 420 grams of sugar, mix everything and gradually heat up. The temperature should not exceed 60 degrees. After the grains have dissolved, cool the dressing, remove the algae and use as directed. This amount is enough for 2 kg of cooked rice.

One plate of dried kombu seaweed is enough to give a dressing refined taste and the scent of the sea

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Useful tricks and secrets of the sushi master

The recipes seem to be very simple, but behind the apparent simplicity there are many subtleties, without which the ideal result cannot be achieved. Japanese culture teaches that simplicity is deceiving, and harmony is made up of important little things. To properly cook rice for rolls and sushi, one knowledge of the recipe is not enough. The secrets of Japanese sushi masters will come to the rescue.

• When washing the rice, do not rub the grains with your hands. Stir the rice in water in gentle circular motions, it is so good to wash out excess starch, flour residues and husk particles left after industrial processing. In expensive rice there is a minimum of impurities, and in cheap rice not only husks and spoiled grains are often found, sometimes sand and pebbles come across. Don't be lazy! This stage is very important - sometimes it takes 7-8 procedures to get the result. The cereal is washed cold water.

Rice is washed until the water is completely clear

• To cook rice for rolls, you need a pressure cooker, a heavy-bottomed saucepan, or a cauldron. The transparent lid of the brewing container will allow you to control the process.
• Do not add salt to the water! All spices and additives are put only in the dressing.
• During the cooking process, do not stir the rice. It is also not recommended to lift the lid, it will break temperature regime.
• The water needs to be completely absorbed into the cereal. If some of the rice has stuck to the sides and bottom of the pan, it is better to throw it away: the adhered rice loses its shape and spoils the taste and appearance of the dish.
• Put the finished rice on a flat plate and spread it over it in an even layer. After that, pour the dressing in small portions over the shoulder blade.
• In order for the grains to retain their appearance and properties, pay attention to mixing the boiled rice. This should be done with a spatula, first from the bottom up, then with careful cutting movements, then, as if driving from one edge of the bowl to the other. Repeat the cycle several times. As a result, the dressing should evenly saturate the rice.

Stir the rice with a wooden spatula with gentle light movements so as not to disturb the consistency.

• Rice vinegar in the dressing gives the rolls a characteristic refined taste, but if you can't find it, replace it with wine, balsamic, apple or any fruit. White table vinegar it is not recommended for rolls due to excessive hardness and saturation, so use it with caution and only if absolutely necessary. It is also acceptable to use lime and lemon juice.
• Make sure the vinegar dressing and rice are warm or slightly hot before mixing. If you pour the dressing into cooled rice, the dishes from it will get an unpleasant aftertaste.

Quality ingredients, adherence to technology, good mood- you are guaranteed a brilliant result

Cooked and seasoned rice for rolls and sushi cannot be kept in the refrigerator. If you have a part of the product left or you decide to make it in advance, spread the finished rice in small portions of several plastic bags... A large lump may crumble, the correct consistency will be disturbed, it will become too wet inside, and the outer layer will dry out. Place the bags in a cool place, such as a window. Thus, the quality of the rice is maintained for two days. To prepare the next portion of the rolls, it will need to be heated in microwave oven.

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Video master class on cooking rice from the chef

How to cook rice for Japanese dishes

Boil delicious rice- a whole art, but it is quite accessible to any mistress. Choosing to your taste suitable recipe rice for rolls and sushi and learning important culinary tricks, you can safely start mastering the intricacies of the national cuisine of Japan. Strict adherence to technology, attention, accuracy - and compliments to your homemade rolls are guaranteed!

Today, many people strive to learn how to cook rolls and sushi, and along the way, everyone encounters certain difficulties.

How to make good sushi rice, how to roll rolls and many other questions reflect the seriousness of the process.

Today we will try to answer the very first, basic question, without an answer to which good rolls or sushi can't work out in principle: how to properly cook rice for sushi?

First, let's clarify right away: without certain products rice for sushi cannot be cooked. These products are, in addition to suitable rice, rice vinegar and kombu (nori) seaweed, without which it is also impossible to make the rolls themselves. Today you can buy seaweed for sushi and rice vinegar in almost all large retail chains of any city: with the popularization of sushi and rolls, their purchase has ceased to be a problem - you just have to search and you will definitely find the right products... But rice for sushi does not have to be bought special.

There are so many varieties of rice on sale now that the eyes run wild, and now it is very important to choose the "right" rice for sushi, sashimi and rice for rolls.

As you probably already guessed, plain rice from which we prepare risotto, pilaf and milk porridge is not at all suitable for sushi. Therefore, before preparing the classic Japanese food do not buy long-grain rice, parboiled, jasmine, brown, basmati rice and the famous devzra variety, from which delicious Uzbek pilaf... The grains of these types of rice are dry and crumbly, so attempts to mold any of them will never be crowned with success.
Rice for sushi belongs to the class of round grain varieties. The starch that this rice is so rich in makes it sticky. This view rice after cooking keeps its shape and does not disintegrate, it is thanks to this property that it is easy to mold a base for sushi and rolls from it.

When buying rice for sushi, remember that it must have the following characteristics:
- the same grain size
- opaque or pearly white color (rice should be free of cracks and dark spots).
- the integrity of everyone rice grain they shouldn't be broken or shattered
- lack of rice husks.

The Japanese argue that sushi rice should not crumble even if you tap it with your finger, but it should definitely just melt in your mouth.

Rice is long-grained, medium-grained and round-grained. If in the first two types of rice (and these are the types, about the varieties it will be later) there is little starch and its "stickiness" is small, then round granular rice has the maximum starch content, and due to the stickiness of cooked rice, this rice is optimal for cooking rice for sushi, rolls, sashimi. You can use unknown sushi rice grown in Russia. The rounded shape of the rice grain is approximately 4-5 mm long to help you determine correct grade... But, nevertheless, a test cooking will be necessary to determine the ability of the rice to stick together.
But such varieties of rice as "Koshi-Higari", or "Sushiki" are guaranteed to be suitable for Japanese and Chinese food... Most general advice- look for sushi meshes, i.e. rice for making sushi. I am sure that sellers in specialized stores will understand you and will be able to help you in choosing rice for sushi.

For the preparation of rolls and sushi, you can use any round grain rice. Often, what is sold in stores with the inscription "rice for making sushi" is ordinary round grain, and not at all special Japanese rice. The use of ordinary round grain rice for sushi is possible not in theory, but in practice, tested by many culinary experts.

Cooking rice for sushi

Rice - main ingredient sushi and rolls. It depends on him how tasty they will turn out. If you select and cook the right rice, consider that you have already done 80% of the work in preparing sushi.
There are many recipes for cooking rice for sushi, in this regard, the situation is comparable to cooking rice in principle.

However, there are principles that are common to all methods:

1. Rice is boiled until tender;
2. Preparing a dressing for rice from rice vinegar, sugar and salt;
3. The finished rice is transferred to a large container and poured over with the cooked vinegar dressing.

Let's get started ...

Whatever rice you use for making sushi: special or ordinary round grain, it must be rinsed well with cold running water until it becomes transparent.
All floating rice should be removed - according to the Japanese rules, only "bad" rice floats in the water, and it should be thrown away. Of course, when washing the rice, you must also remove all the debris, all the dark grains.

Method 1 ... First, wash the rice in a large number running water. Then we drain the water and leave the rice for about an hour.
Put the washed rice in a thick-bottomed saucepan, add water in the following ratio: for every 200 g of rice there should be 250 ml of water. For flavor, a square of nori seaweed (kombu) is placed in the rice, but it must be removed before the water boils.
The pot should be no more than a third full of water and rice.
Cover the pan with a lid, turn on medium fire, bring to a boil, reduce the heating to a minimum, with a low boil, boil the rice for 10-15 minutes until the water is completely absorbed, remove the pan from the stove without opening the lid, leave for another 10-15 minutes.

After removing the seaweed, cover the rice and do not open the lid again until the rice is completely cooked.

Method 2. Rinse the rice, put in a saucepan, pour water in the ratio of 2 parts of water to 1 part of rice, leave for half an hour, then put on the stove, cover and bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to a minimum, boil the rice for 10 minutes, turn off the heat , leave the rice covered for another 20 minutes.

Method 3. Pour washed rice into boiling water, reduce the heat to minimum, cover the pan with a lid, simmer the rice until the liquid is completely absorbed. The proportions of rice and water are the same as in the second method - 1: 2

Making the rice dressing

Sushi rice dressing is made with rice vinegar, sugar and salt, and this is done very simply.

450 g cooked rice it takes about 2 tbsp. vinegar and 1 tsp each. sugar and salt.
Pour salt and sugar into rice vinegar and heat the mixture until they are completely dissolved, stirring over medium heat. Sprinkle the finished dressing over the rice, stirring it slightly with a wooden spoon or sushi chopsticks.

There are other ways to prepare the dressing, for example, nori can be added to the vinegar along with salt and sugar, but then the algae does not need to be added to the rice when cooking.

Features of cooking rice for sushi

After the rice and dressing are cooked, they need to be blended. With vinegar dressing, the rice is poured or sprinkled while stirring with wooden (!) Devices. Stir the rice carefully so as not to turn it into porridge.

The dressing must be slightly cooled before adding to the rice, like the rice itself, but they are mixed while still hot, then the seasoned rice must be cooled, according to Japanese traditions, this is done with a fan, but in principle, even without this, the rice will cool down normally.

Fanning the rice is believed to give it a pearly sheen.

The rice should be cool enough so that your hands are not hot. When forming rolls and sushi, it is recommended to regularly moisten your hands in water to which rice vinegar has been added.
Based on materials from ovkuse.ru, domosushi.ua

Rice for sushi and rolls

Take the purchased rice and pour it into a flat cup required amount.

Be sure to thoroughly rinse the rice. Rinse the rice for sushi and rolls with cold water and this should be done for a long time. It is impossible to give recommendations on the number of "washings", it will depend on the type of rice and on its contamination. But the main task of the procedure is not just to achieve the purity of the rice, the starch dust covering the rice must be removed, the water in which the rice is immersed must become almost transparent. I think that for this it is necessary to change the water about 10 times.

You can use the steamer to cook sushi rice using just about any model. No steamer - no big trouble, let's cook rice for sushi in the classic way... After washing, let the rice for rolls "rest" for about 45 minutes, leaving the rice to lie without water. During this time, the sushi rice will swell, absorbing the remaining moisture after rinsing. Pour one and a quarter cup of water over one cup of rice. To cook sushi rice, use enamel pot or stainless steel cookware, the lid should fit snugly against the pan. It is recommended to put 1 sheet of nori seaweed in the dish in which the rice will be cooked. Put the pan on the stove and bring it to a boil; before the water boils, the algae leaf should be removed. Cook the rice over medium heat for 10 minutes, then cover the pan with a towel and wait another 10 minutes.

Add rice vinegar to the cooked rice. But first, sugar and salt should be dissolved in vinegar. For 1 tablespoon of vinegar (the amount needed for one cup of dry rice is about 180 grams), you need to take 1 tsp. sugar and ½ tsp. salt. It is better to use cane sugar and sea salt. Pour the rice with vinegar with dissolved sugar and salt.

Mix thoroughly ....

AND leave to "dry", during this procedure the rice will completely "take" the vinegar

Such wooden tubs in the old days, rice was “dried”. Many connoisseurs of Japanese cuisine still recommend using a wooden plate or bowl and a wooden spatula or wooden spoon to stir the rice when adding vinegar to sushi meshes.

How to cook rice for rolls:

Sushi Rice Dressing:

How to cook rice for sushi and rolls:

It is shown in stages how many minutes you need to soak the rice, cook and stand it before we start making rolls and sushi out of it.

Rice is the main component of sushi, which means that its preparation should be as correct as possible, because any, even the smallest, gastronomic mistake will ruin the taste of the future dish. If the rice is undercooked, then the sushi will simply taste unpleasant. If you digest it, no matter how exquisite you choose, the rolls will eventually fall apart. This article will help you avoid annoying mistakes.

What rice to choose for making sushi

Success to a large extent depends not so much on the preparation method as on the correct choice in the store. Sushi will only work if you choose a firm and sticky porridge. And this means that we immediately say "no" to steamed crumbly. Also in your grocery basket there should be no rice for pilaf, jasmine and basmati varieties (they are very popular, but they are completely unsuitable for sushi). We offer you to get acquainted with some of the principles of the right cereal:

• choose round grain rice. There is a lot of starch in such varieties, and the porridge will eventually turn out to be sticky: you can easily form neat and beautiful rolls.
• the grains must be whole. No husks, cracks or cracks, as is often the case with low quality rice.
• the grains must be the same size.
• as for the color, only white is opaque, other options are unacceptable.
• the best varieties- sushiki and koshi-higari (Japan). This kind can easily be found in specialized corners in large supermarkets.

Cooking rice for sushi: 5 top secrets

Method 1: how to cook sushi rice

Method 2: rice for sushi in a slow cooker

Perhaps cooking rice in a slow cooker will seem easier to you. Professionals still recommend doing this. the traditional way in a saucepan, however, this does not mean that the product prepared in this way will be “wrong”.

1. We thoroughly rinse the cereals and soak them for half an hour (this is if you are using special Japanese rice). If you are preparing sushi from regular round grain, then do not soak it.
2. We shift the rice into the multicooker bowl, fill it with water (1 by 1.5, that is, 200 g of cereal per 300 ml of water).
3. Now we set the "Rice" or "Buckwheat" mode (depending on the functions of your multicooker). If there are no such modes, do not worry: the dish will be cooked in the "Baking" mode, only the timer in this case should be set for ten minutes, and then turn on the "Stew" mode for twenty minutes.

Method 3: recipe for sushi rice

Method 4: how easy it is to cook sushi rice

In this recipe, the dressing is prepared based on lemon juice, it gives a pleasant flavor future rolls.

Method 5: a simple sushi rice recipe

You will need:

• polished rice (seven hundred grams);
• cold water(seven hundred milliliters);
• sake (two tablespoons);
• brown algae kombu (one plate is enough);
• Apple vinegar(seventy grams);
• honey (one tablespoon);
• sea ​​salt(one tablespoon).

Thoroughly rinse and dry the cereal. Pour it into a saucepan, fill it with water in the traditional proportion (200 g to 300 ml) and add two tablespoons of sake. Algae also goes into the pan. This whole mixture should be infused for one hour. Then the algae is removed and the rice is boiled in the usual way.

Once the rice is cooked, leave it covered for fifteen minutes. Then we mix honey, salt and apple cider vinegar (the amount of each ingredient is indicated above. As for the rice, put it in a large bowl and pour over the prepared dressing. For the mixture to be well absorbed, gently turn it over with a wooden spatula or sushi sticks. you can immediately after the mixture has cooled.

Bon Appetit!

Do you know how to cook sushi rice at home? If so, share with our users in the comments below the article.

If you do not want to cook sushi at home, then welcome to our catalog: here you will find the best sushi bars in Kiev with photos, descriptions and real reviews guests.

You may also be interested in:

Even more delicious and simple recipes you will find in our permanent.

Photo: at the request of Yandex and Google

Sushi and rolls - traditional dishes asian food- have become very popular outside of Asia. There are no fewer restaurants where you can try this kind of food than pizzerias.

At the same time, unlike pizza, which our hostesses have been successfully preparing for a long time at home, not everyone risks trying to make sushi or rolls on their own. This is largely due to the need to purchase specific products of Asian cuisine - seaweed, sauces, caviar and others.

Not every store can find all the ingredients you need. The cooking process itself is not too complicated and quite fun.

For everything to work out, it is very important to choose and prepare the right rice. It should not be undercooked, but its transformation into gruel should also not be allowed. There are several ways to get your rice cooked properly.

Suitable for sushi is Mistral rice, a common white round grain or specialty variety sold in Asian food stores or in supermarket grocery stores.

Parboiled and long grain varieties are not suitable. The groats can be polished. Such rice contains a lot of starch, due to which it absorbs water well and becomes tender and crumbly.

The calorie content of the rice itself is about 350 kcal per 100 g of finished cereals. The cooking time depends on the chosen method. Usually, together with soaking, it takes up to 40-50 minutes to cook.

Rinse the rice well before cooking. This is done as follows:

• the required amount of porridge is poured with water in a bowl or saucepan, the rice is quickly stirred by hand;
• drain the water, letting go with it those grains, husks and debris that have risen to the surface of the water;
• rub rice lightly in the palms, picking up several handfuls;
• rinse again and repeat this action until the drained water becomes clear.

Then the cereals are soaked for 20 minutes in cold water.

Classic Asian Rice Recipe

This recipe follows the traditional method as closely as possible.

Products:

• 700 g washed rice;
• 700 g of cold filtered water.

Caloric content per 100 g: 344 kcal.

How to cook sushi rice at home? Let's consider this process in detail. After pouring the rice with water, it is placed in a saucepan on the stove, turned on over low heat.

Before the water begins to boil, the fire increases, and at the time of boiling, the temperature is lowered. Cook for another 20 minutes, during which time the liquid evaporates and is absorbed into the rice. Then they turn on a large fire for 10 seconds, after which they turn off the stove.

It is very important not to stir the porridge while cooking. You can loosen it with a wooden stick after turning off the stove.

Cover the pot with a towel and then a lid and let it sit for 20 minutes before cooking.

Cooking rice with rice vinegar

Now we cook rice for sushi at home in a different way - with vinegar. Let's get started!

Products:

• 200 g washed rice;
• 250 ml of water;
• 1 tsp white sugar;
• 2 g table or sea salt;
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar.

Time required for cooking: 45 min.

Caloric content per 100 g: 353 kcal.

The groats are poured with cold fresh water and allowed to boil at medium temperature. Change the fire to minimum and cook for 14 minutes with the lid closed.

Opening the lid and stirring the porridge is not allowed. Then the pan is removed from the stove, salt, sugar and vinegar are added. Before cooking, the porridge should stand for a while, cool down so that it is comfortable to hold in your hands when preparing sushi.

Another easy recipe for cooking rice

Below we describe how to cook properly regular rice for sushi.

Products:

• 200 g of regular washed rice;
• 250 ml of filtered water;
• 1 piece of konbu seaweed - no more than 5 cm.

Time required for cooking: 35 min.

Caloric content per 100 g: 342 kcal.

Pour the groats in a saucepan with water, while the container should be such that the water fills it by a third, not more. Konbu algae is placed in the water, but they need to be pulled out before the liquid boils.

Until this moment, the pan is covered with a lid. After boiling, the porridge is boiled for 10-13 minutes at a minimum temperature.

Cooking in a slow cooker

It is much easier to cook rice in a slow cooker, as there is no need to control the process. So, how long and how to cook sushi rice in a slow cooker?

Pre-soaked washed cereal with water in a ratio of 1 part of cereal to 1.5 parts of water is placed in a multicooker bowl. Some devices have modes "Rice" or "Buckwheat", you can set them for cooking.

In the absence of special functions, the porridge is cooked for 10 minutes in the "Baking" mode, and then another 20 - in the "Stew" mode.

If liquid remains after cooking, it is drained. The porridge must cool before cooking.

Delicious Sushi Rice Dressing Recipes

Before you start cooking sushi or rolls, you need to season the rice. This is done using vinegar mixtures.

Products:

• 2 tbsp rice vinegar (you can take wine, or even apple cider, if rice is not in the store);
• 1 tsp. sugar and soy sauce.

All ingredients are mixed so that the sugar dissolves. Then the dressing can be warmed up a little in the microwave to keep it lukewarm. The resulting mixture is poured over cooled rice. Now you can start making sushi.

For one more refueling you will need:

• 70 g plum vinegar (or apple cider);
• 1 tsp preferably sea salt;
• 3 tbsp mirin (rice wine).

A mixture of the listed ingredients is poured into the porridge, distributed evenly with wooden sticks.

The dressing can be used to change the color of the finished rice. Then the sushi will turn out to be more original. Red plum vinegar gives the grain a pleasant pinkish hue.

If you add 1 teaspoon of turmeric seasoning to the water before cooking the porridge, then the color of the finished rice will be yellowish. Milled seaweed(1-2 tablespoons) mixed with ready-made porridge, will make it soft green.

In order for the cereal to cook in the right way, you must remember to rinse and soak it before cooking. Best used when cooking where possible, wooden dishes: sticks or small flat spatulas for loosening and stirring, wooden bowls for soaking and cooling rice in them.

The dressing and porridge should be still warmed up when mixing, but not hot or cold.

To make the hot porridge cool faster, you should not put it in a cold place, even on a windowsill.

In Japan, a fan is used to speed up the cooling process. You can fan the porridge with your palms, a magazine, or a piece of paper.

It is better not to store rice in the refrigerator if the preparation is not planned immediately. It is recommended to use porridge for dishes on the day of its preparation.

Good rice for sushi and rolls may not come out right away. Each time it will come out better and sushi will turn out to be as delicious as in restaurants.

You can also learn about the intricacies of cooking rice for sushi and rolls from the following video.

What's the most important thing about sushi? It is difficult to answer unequivocally. The freshness of fish and seafood determines the health and safety of the product. A properly prepared sauce is responsible for the final taste and aftertaste. And compliance certain rules when cooking rice guarantees aesthetics and appetizing appearance ready-made sushi... One can definitely say only that the basis of all sushi is rice. Therefore, if you are going to cook sushi at home, then you definitely need to know how to properly cook rice for sushi and their main variety called.

How to choose and cook sushi rice? For making sushi, only round grain rice with high adhesiveness. It is this quality of rice that determines how accurate and correct the shape of the future product will be. When choosing rice, you can choose any type of small round rice - all of these varieties have good stickiness. But rice in a package labeled "For sushi" is often a banal marketing ploy designed for simpletons.

After choosing rice, decide on the amount you need to prepare the dish. Rinse well with cold water in a large bowl. Rice should be washed until the water is completely clear. Professional chefs believe that for this you need to "change the seven waters", each time thoroughly stirring the rice.

Dry rice for 30-40 minutes, spreading it in a thin layer along the bottom of a wide sieve.

If you intend to properly cook sushi rice, be sure to use the deep thick-walled pan with a thick bottom. After putting rice in it, fill it with cold water at the rate of one and a half glasses of water per glass of rice. Immediately add a slice of kombu - seaweed, which will give the rice a specific flavor. Close the saucepan tightly with a lid and put on medium heat. When boiling, the kombu must be pulled out, the saucepan must be closed again and kept on the stove for 15 minutes. Then turn off the stove and let the rice brew for another 20 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, you need to prepare a dressing that will give your rice the properties you need for sushi. Rice vinegar, salt and sugar are commonly used as the main ingredients in the dressing. If rice vinegar is not available, white vinegar can be used instead. vinegar... It doesn't hurt to add some sake to the dressing, but you can do without this ingredient.

For two tablespoons of vinegar, you need to take a teaspoon of sugar and salt. However, the ratio of ingredients is not constant and can change depending on the preferences of the sushi lovers.

The ingredients prepared for dressing must be mixed well in a small saucepan and put on medium or low heat. Stir constantly, keep the pan on the stove until all the grains of sugar and salt are completely dissolved.

When the rice is done, it is transferred from the saucepan to a wide bowl. Pour the dressing evenly and mix quickly with a wooden spatula. This should be done with chopping movements so that the rice is separated from each other, and does not turn into a sticky lump. The well-mixed rice will completely soak in the dressing. You need to let the rice cool down a little, to about 35 degrees, after which you can start cooking sushi.

Well, if you manage to find the freshest fish or seafood, your sushi will deserve the highest praise.