Sushi

Sushi Rice

1. Rinse the rice until the water is almost clear.
2. Add the rice to a large heavy bottomed non-stick pot, then add 350 ml of cold water and cover it with a lid.
3. Ideally you want to let the rice sit in the water for at least 30 minutes before you start cooking it. This allows the grains of rice to soak up some water before cooking, which results in shinier rice with a better texture.
4. Bring the rice to a boil. Turn down the heat to low and set a timer for 10 minutes. Once the rice is done, turn off the heat and leave the lid on for 15 - 20 minutes.
5. Combine the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl. You can microwave it for a bit to help dissolve the sugar.
6. Dump the rice out onto a large baking tray.
7. Gently flatten out the rice and gradually mix the vinegar mixture with the hot rice.
8. The sushi rice is done when the surface is no longer wet and slippery, the rice is fluffy, and each grain is very shiny.
9. Mound up the rice, and cover with a damp towel until you’re ready to use it.

Sushi

1. Place your nori sheet longest edge at the bottom of your sushi mat, shiny side facing down.
2. Wet your hands to prevent the rice from sticking.
3. Place a thin layer of rice across the sheet leaving about a 2.5 cm gap at the top.
4. Make sure your ingredients are thinly sliced and a similar length, so they can be lined up on the rice. Place your filling half way up the rice and let it hang over the sides, to make sure the whole roll is filled.
5. Make sure you have some water to hand. Take the bottom of the sheet and roll it up so that the bottom meets the top line of the rice.
6. Try to make one full roll of the rice keeping it tight, hold the roll in place. Then wet your fingers with the water and slightly dampen the remaining edge of the nori sheet then continue to roll the sheet, sealing the roll.
7. Once you have made up all your rolls, make sure your knife is sharp and run the edge of the knife under a running tap. Cut the roll in half then keep cutting the pieces in half again until you have 8 pieces. Keep running the knife under a little water in between cuts to prevent the rice from sticking to it.