Sushi, like most Japanese things, is made using exact skill and precision. But don't let this scare you from making your own at home. In this recipe I outline the exact steps to take in order to achieve proper sushi rice using a rice cooker. I suggest that you purchase one of these handy kitchen appliances if you don't already have one. They can be had for a minimal price — mine cost about $12 and can cook 6 cups of rice at a time.
It is important before you begin that you start out with the correct type of rice, wither short grain sushi rice or Calrose rice. Other types will not work as well, and some won't work at all.
You can also make your life easier by purchasing "seasoned" rice wine vinegar, which includes the salt and the sugar already mixed in.
Yield: With this recipe you should be able to get about 3-4 sushi maki rolls out of one cup of rice.
Ingredients:
This article appears in Nov 4-10, 2009.