Portions: Approximately 1 kg cooked rice

Preparation: 5 minutes plus 2 hours for draining and cooling

Cooking: 20 minutes

Ingredients

Rice

• 500g short-grain rice
• 750ml water

Vinegar

• 75ml rice vinegar
• 15ml mirin
• 3 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsp salt

Method

1. Rice: Rinse the rice in cold water until the water runs clear. Drain for 1 hour.
2. Place the rice in a saucepan with the water, cover with a tight fitting lid. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and leave to cook for 12-15 minutes.
3. Remove the lid and cover with a tea towel. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
4. Vinegar: Place all the vinegar ingredients in a saucepan over a moderate high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
5. Sushi Rice: Spread the rice evenly over an oven tray or a similar wide shallow container, ideally this would be a Handai a wooden Japanese bowl. Run a palate knife through the rice to gently separate grains and slowly add the vinegar while you do this (being careful not to crush the rice).
6. Fan the rice to cool to room temperature. Cover the rice with a clean cloth until ready to use.