Stove Top Sushi Rice

If you’ve ever taken one of my sushi classes, you’ve heard my spiel. You know that I do not advocate making sushi rice on the stove top and insist that sushi rice should be made in a rice cooker. This is advice that I always heed. Cooking quality sushi rice is one of the most important steps in the sushi making process since sushi can only be considered sushi if it contains the vinegar dressed rice. Sushi rice is also unusual in that it is cooked with less water than rice. This produces a slightly drier grain that soaks up the flavorful vinegar dressing. Standard rice to water ratios produce moist rice that often turns mushy after adding the vinegar dressing making it very difficult to use. Though not impossible to make good sushi rice on the stove top, using a rice cooker is much easier and much more predictable.

Having said that, my rice cooker died a few days ago right before I was scheduled to film a set of instructional sushi videos. Time did not permit me to run out and purchase another, so I had no choice but to prepare the sushi rice stove top. It had been years since I had prepared sushi rice stove top and I was a little nervous. As fate would also have it, I only had just the amount of rice I needed. There could be no mistakes and the first attempt had to be perfect. 

Normally, I would have been frustrated with the failing of yet another electrical device, but that particular rice cooker had served me quite well. After four years and over 500 pounds of sushi rice, it certainly earned every single penny of the $27.99 it cost. I would certainly buy another Oster 10 cup rice cooker.

In the end, my stove top rice turned out just fine (though I do not intend to make this my regular method). Here is the method I used for preparing stove top sushi rice. It is not precise as I use the knuckle method, where the water used is measured based on the position of the knuckle on your middle finger. Also, it is very important to leave the lid on the rice the entire cooking process. If your lid is flat, weigh it down with a couple of bricks or heavy cans.

 Stove Top Sushi Rice Method

yields 8 cups sushi rice 

4 cups sushi rice

heavy bottomed pot with tight fitting lid

water

 Vinegar Dressing for Sushi Rice

1⁄2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar

2 tablespoon sugar

3 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice, optional

To make vinegar dressing, mix all ingredients in a non metal bowl. Do not heat to dissolve sugar and salt. Also do not refrigerate. Set aside until rice is ready.

Step 1. Place sushi rice in a bowl and cover with cool water. Gently swish rice in water and pour off water. Repeat 3 more times.

Step 2. Place washed sushi rice in a wire or plastic mesh strainer and rinse until water runs clear. Allow to sushi rice to strain for at least 10 minutes.

Step 3. Place sushi rice in a heavy bottomed pot. Gently spread sushi rice as evenly as possibly in the pot. Place your dominant hand flat on top of the sushi rice. Add enough cool water to extend just beyond the knuckle of your middle finger.

Step 4. Place the pot on stove and cover with lid. Turn heat on high. At this point, note the time or set a kitchen timer for 40 minutes. The rice will need to cook/steam for exactly 40 minutes. Meanwhile, listen carefully for water to begin boiling.

Step 5. When water comes to a rolling boil (you must listen for this- DO NOT LIFT THE LID!), turn the heat to medium and allow to cook until steam emerges from pot.

Step 6. When steam begins to emerge, turn off heat but leave the pot on the burner. The rice is ready when the timer buzzes.

Step 7. Place rice on a wooden or plastic cutting board. (This makes it easier to toss than placing the rice in a bowl.) Pour sushi rice dressing over the hot rice and gently toss with a wooden spoon or plastic spatula until dressing has sufficiently coated the rice.

Step 8. Allow rice to cool to room temperature then cover with a damp, lint-free cloth.