Sushi Rice

Wash the rice. Pour the grains of rice into the rice cooker liner and fill with water. Swish and swirl the rice around to remove the excess starch. Drain the cloudy water and add in some fresh water. Repeat the process 5-6 times until the water is clear or at least less cloudy. Transfer the rice to a sieve and drain completely.

Then pour the rinsed rice back into the rice cooker liner and add in 3 cups of water.

This next step is optional and can be skipped . Tear a large sheet of Kombu into smaller pieces. Use a damp paper towel to clean the Kombu on both sides. Take a piece of Kombu and place it into the rice cooker.

Close the lid on the rice cooker and plug it in. Press down on the lever to cook the rice.

While the rice is cooking make the Sushi Vinegar. In a saucepan on Medium heat pour in the unseasoned rice vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Do not allow the mixture to come to a boil. As soon as the sugar is dissolved remove from the heat . Set it aside and let it cool. Another option of doing this is heating the Sushi Vinegar mixture in the microwave. Either method will work just fine.

After 15 minutes the rice cooker indicator should switch over from "rice cooking" to "keep warm". Let it sit undisturbed for another 5 minutes then open the lid on the rice cooker. Remove the Kombu and discard.

Dump the cooked rice into a large non-reactive shallow bowl. Do not use a metal bowl. It is best to use a wooden Japanese Hangiri but if you do not own one then a plastic or glass bowl will do.

Remove any burnt crust on the bottom of the rice. Save for later use or discard.

While the rice is hot gradually drizzle the Sushi vinegar mixture evenly over the rice. Slice the rice at an angle and gently fold it over. Becareful not to mash the rice. Do not stir or mix it. While cutting into the rice you should be fanning it at the same time to cool it down. Do this for about 5 minutes. You can stop fanning once most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. Then let it cool to body temperature. Place on the counter and cover the bowl with a damp towel to prevent the rice from drying out. Do not refrigerate as it will harden the rice.

Allow the rice to absorb all of the vinegar mix. Let it sit on the counter for 45 minutes before you use it. Every so often come back to the rice, slice it at an angle and fold it over to fluff it up.