How do I make sushi rice properly?

Sushi rice is a seasoned rice, not just a sticky one, and the seasoning goes in at a specific moment: hot, spread out, absorbed rather than stirred in. Get the variety and that moment right and the rest is straightforward.

Step by step

1. Buy the right rice.Japanese short-grain — sold as sushi rice, Japonica, Koshihikari or Calrose. It is high in amylopectin, which is what makes cooked grains cling to each other while staying distinct. Risotto rice is not a substitute: it releases its starch into the liquid instead of holding together, and gives you a mush. Basmati is the opposite problem entirely.
2. Rinse properly — this is the one time it is worth the effort.Cover with cold water, swirl and gently rub the grains between your fingers, pour off, repeat four or five times until the water is only faintly cloudy. You are removing surface paste so the finished rice is sticky from the grain rather than gluey from starch dust.
3. Drain and rest for 20–30 minutes.Let the rinsed rice sit in the sieve. It absorbs the surface water and hydrates evenly, which stops the outside cooking to mush before the centre is done.
4. Cook covered and undisturbed.1 part rice to about 1.1 parts water by volume — less than for basmati, because the rice has already taken water on. A piece of kombu in the pan is traditional and adds savoury depth. Bring to the boil, lid on, lowest heat for 12 minutes, then off the heat, still covered, for 10 more. No lifting the lid at any point.
5. Make the dressing while it cooks.Per 300 g of uncooked rice, roughly 60 ml rice vinegar, 30 g caster sugar and 5 g salt. Warm gently until the sugar and salt dissolve — do not boil, which drives off the vinegar's aroma. Adjust to taste: this is a personal balance and shop versions are usually sweeter than home ones.
6. Season the rice hot, in a wide non-metal bowl, by cutting.Tip the hot rice into a wide wooden or plastic bowl (a traditional hangiri is a shallow wooden tub, and any wide bowl approximates it). Pour the dressing over the back of a spatula so it distributes, then cut through the rice at an angle and fold — never stir or press, which crushes the grains into paste. Fan it as you go if you have help; the cooling gives the rice its gloss.
7. Cool to body temperature and cover with a damp cloth.Sushi rice is used at around body temperature, not cold. A damp cloth over the bowl stops the surface drying while you work. Use it within a few hours.

Tips

• Wet your hands with a bowl of water and a splash of rice vinegar before handling the rice. Nothing else stops it sticking to you.
• A wooden bowl absorbs a little excess moisture and does not react with the vinegar. A metal bowl can give a faint metallic taste with an acidic dressing.
• Sushi rice does not refrigerate. Cold makes the starch retrograde into something hard and dry, and it cannot be brought back. Make what you will eat.
• Rice for onigiri and for poke bowls is the same rice, sometimes with less sugar in the dressing.

Common mistakes

• Using arborio or basmati — Arborio dissolves into starch and basmati refuses to cling. Neither is a near miss; the whole dish depends on the variety.
• Stirring the dressing in — It ruptures the grains and gives a pasty texture. Cut and fold with the edge of the spatula instead.
• Dressing cold rice — Cold grains do not absorb the vinegar mixture, so it pools in the bottom of the bowl and the rice tastes bland and wet.

Questions people ask