Gavin's fail-safe pot rice recipe using a pot over gas.
I don't find the type of rice to be as important as the cooking method.
Certainly, the shorter grains help a nigiri to stay together, and if there's
short-grain "sushi" rice in the cupboard, I'll use it. Otherwise, plain ol'
Tastic or Rio (cheap, long-grain, off the shelf stuff available here in South
Africa) does just fine.
Place 500ml (2C) uncooked rice in a sieve or colander and rinse, agitating under
running water for at least five minutes, until NO more white starch runs down
the drain. Allow to stand and drain for at least fifteen minutes, although an
hour is recommended.
Place washed rice on stove with equal volumes of cold water (500ml water to
500ml rice). A heavy based stainless steel pot with a lid that seals well is
essential - flimsy aluminium pots will let out the precious steam and burn on
the bottom.
DON'T MESS WITH IT! Stirring will release more of the loose starch you've just
taken all that time to remove.
As soon as the water begins to boil, cover with a tight-fitting lid and turn the
heat down as low as possible, just enough to maintain a gentle boil, for 15 min.
Remove from heat and allow to stand covered for a further 15 min. DO
NOT OPEN THE LID!
In the meantime, prepare your enzymes. For 500ml rice, I use:
75ml (5T) rice vinegar
10ml (2t) sugar
2.5ml (0.5t) salt
For a slightly zestier flavour, I enjoy replacing one tablespoon (15ml) of the
rice vinegar with pure lime juice. Heating this slightly in a microwave helps
dissolve the sugar.
When the rice has stood covered for its 15 minutes off the heat, transfer it to
a non-metallic bowl. Plastic or bamboo is best. Glass can be a bit sticky and any
metal will affect the flavour due to reaction with the vinegar.
Pour over the liquid and toss using a wooden spoon or large chopsticks. You want
to get some air into the mixture to bring it down to room temperature -
otherwise it'll just continue cooking in its own heat and get stodgy.
This recipe has succeeded repeatedly for both sushi preparation (keep your hands
wet) and as a sticky rice with Thai curries.
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