Sushi Rice

Place the rice in a pot, with a lid and fill with 3 cups water. Stir to moisten the rice, then drain and repeat until the water runs clear. When all excess starch and impurities have been removed in this way, let the rice stand to completely drain for 15 minutes. In the meantime, wash and dry the pot to have it ready to cook the rice. Return the cleansed rice to the pot and add 2 1/3 cups water. Cover and bring to a vigorous boil over medium-high heat. Do not remove the lid during any stage of the cooking process. Reduce heat to medium and let cook for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and let cook for 15 minutes, still leaving lid undisturbed. Remove rice from heat and let stand with lid still on pot for 5 more minutes.

While the rice is cooking, make the vinegar mixture. In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, salt, and miso over medium heat, stirring until the ingredients are integrated. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Separate the grains of rice with a wooden spatula and transfer to a shallow bowl, preferably wooden. Stir in enough of the vinegar to make the rice stick together in clumps when you squeeze some in the palm of your hand. Do not add too much vinegar mixture; it is better to have some left over than to over-moisten the whole batch of rice.

Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and allow to cool to room temperature before using in a sushi recipe.

Note: This sushi rice recipe can be used in conjunction with the recipes for the elements of the Bento Box of sushi hors d'oeuvres made on the episode which included: Traditional Osaka Style Sushi, Rice Balls, Maki, and Nigiri Sushi.

Yield: 6 3/4 cups vinegared sushi rice for use in sushi recipes, enough for approximately 6 servings of sushi depending on the recipe