Sumeshi (Vinegared Sushi Rice) recipe is prepared very simple with minimal ingredients yet it's authentically Japanese and perfect for making great vegan sushi! If you're looking for super tasty multipurpose vinegared sushi rice for nigiri, roll and bowl. With my sumeshi (Vinegared Sushi Rice) recipe, your sushi creations will taste more authentic than you've ever made, guaranteed!Yield: about 24-32 nigiri, 3 large rolls, or 3 large bowls
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time35 minutesmins
Total Time55 minutesmins
Course: Main
Cuisine: Japanese
Servings: 3
Author: Plant-Based Matters
Ingredients
Sushizu (Seasoned Rice Vinegar Mixture)
3tbsprice vinegar
1 1/2tbspsugar
2 1/2tspsalt
Cooking Rice
1 1/2cupsuncooked white Japanese ricestarchy short grain rice
1 1/2cupswater
0.3ozdried kombu sheetoptional but highly recommended
First, prepare sushizu (seasoned vinegar mixture.) In a prep bowl, combine rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Whisk together until well blended. Set it aside. You may see the sugar and salt are not quite dissolved yet. However, it should be all dissolved once sushizu is mixed with hot cooked rice later.Alternative: You may cook the sushizu mixture on the stove on medium heat just until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from the heat and let it cool down until rice is done.
Next, cook the rice. First, rinse the rice. To do so, place rice in a large bowl. At the sink, pour water to cover the rice. Rinse it with your hand moving in circular motion then quickly discard the water. Repeat the process for 5 to 6 times until water becomes clear. Drain well.
Transfer the rice to a pot with a heavy lid or something similar. Pour purified water and make the rice leveled. Place kombu sheet on top of the rice (submerge in the water) and cover with the lid.Alternative: You can also cook the rice in your own rice cooker by using the same amount of each ingredient. If you use the rice cooker, skip Step 4 and go to Step 5.
Cook the rice on slightly lower than medium high heat. In about 10-15 minutes, it will be at almost boiling (you will see the bubbles.) At this point, open the lid and use a rice paddle to give a gently scrape at the bottom of the pot just so that the rice won’t stick to the bottom. Make the rice leveled once again then put the lid back on. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes, turn off the stove. Keep the lid on and let it stand for 10 minutes.
Remove the kombu sheet and transfer the cooked rice to a large shallow bowl (preferably wooden sushi bucket for soaking up excess moisture.) Add the sushizu and mix with a rice paddle. To do so, move in gentle cutting motions. While mixing, use a fan to let the rice cool down until ever so slightly warm like your body temperature. Sushi rice tastes better when it is not completely cold.
Now, the rice is ready for making any style of sushi of your choice: nigiri, roll, chirashi-style bowl etc.
Notes
Sushizu (Seasoned Rice Vinegar Mixture)
Sushizu is a mixture of rice vinegar, sugar and salt. It seasons the rice perfectly for making any type of sushi.
For the authentic taste, I’d not recommend skipping some ingredients or using any substitute.
I use organic rice vinegar, organic cane sugar, and Japanese sea salt (arashio.)
For your convenience, you can make sushizu in larger amount and keep in a clean airtight container and store in the fridge. Use as needed.
Optionally, use a store-bought seasoned sushi rice vinegar mix.
You could adjust the amount of each ingredient in sushizu to suit your palate.
Choice of Rice
Choosing the rice kind of rice is crucial for making authentically Japanese sushi. Use REAL Japanese rice for this recipe!
Koshihikari rice is recommended for the firmer texture that works well for sushi.
You may find rice labeled as “sushi rice” at your typical grocery stores. However, they are typically far from authentic Japanese rice so I would NOT recommend them.
Cooking Rice
1 1/2 cup / 300 g uncooked Japanese rice is equivalent to 2 cups (2合) in the Japanese rice measuring cup that comes with most Japanese rice cookers (like zojirushi brand rice cooker.) The cook time is typically longer when you use a rice cooker.
You can use the same amount of ingredients for using a rice cooker.
You may realize that the amount of water is less than when preparing typical Japanese rice. Since sushizu (seasoned rice vinegar mixture) will be added later, rice should be cooked a bit firmer to start with.
Leftover Sushi Rice
You may have some leftover rice which you can store in the refrigerator.
Like any leftover rice, leftover sumeshi will harden especially in the fridge so store in airtight container and consume within 1-2 days.
Optionally, you could make fried rice using sumeshi (yes, it will taste slightly sweet & vinegary.)