Preparing sushi rice

There are a few key differences
between the way you prepare rice for sushi and the way you prepare
regular rice:

• Cook sushi rice with a little
  less water so that it’s a bit dryer when it comes out of the pot. This
  way it can absorb the seasoning better.

• For every rice-cooker cup
  (3/4 regular cup) of rice you use, figure on 1/8 cup (1 1/2 Tbsp) of
  seasoned rice vinegar. If your rice vinegar is already sweetened, use
  it as is; if not, mix about 1 part sugar to 2 parts vinegar. So here’s
  sample proportions:
  • 2 rice-cooker cups uncooked
    rice (wash it and cook it of course)
  • 1/4 cup seasoned rice
    vinegar OR 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar + 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar; heat
    the vinegar and stir the sugar in until it’s all dissolved so that
    it will distribute evenly throughout the rice. (Normally I just
    buy my vinegar preseasoned.)

• Let the rice steam in the
  cooker (without opening the lid) for about 15 minutes after it’s done
  cooking.

• Don’t mix your sushi rice
  in a metal container; use a casserole dish or something non-metallic
  instead, because of the acid in the vinegar.

• After the 15 minutes are
  up, put your rice in your non-metallic container and fluff it up with
  the rice paddle.

• Pour the vinegar over the
  rice paddle to make sure it scatters over the surface of the rice.

• Turn on a portable fan to
  cool the rice quickly while you toss the rice and cut and fold it together.
  (Don’t stir with a wooden spoon motion or you’ll crush the rice grains.)
  The rice should turn shiny and sticky between the combination of vinegar
  and quick cooling.

• When the rice is cool enough
  to handle easily, almost room temperature, take a small piece and try
  to shape it, then taste. It should just barely taste sweet and tart;
  if you consciously think of vinegar, it’s too strong and you need more
  rice, but if you can’t taste the difference from unseasoned rice, add
  a little more vinegar and keep mixing and fanning.

• If it falls apart when you
  try to shape it into a nigiri-shape, it’s too wet; keep the fan blowing,
  and you may need to decrease the amount of vinegar and/or water in the
  cooker next time. It should be cooled to room temperature when you try
  to handle it, and it should hold its shape easily.

• Unlike plain rice, sushi
  rice can’t be kept for the next day (rather, it can, but it’ll taste
  nasty if you put it in the fridge, and you REALLY don’t want to eat
  sushi that HASN’T been put in the fridge). Use up your sushi rice within
  a couple hours of making it; don’t try to refrigerate or freeze and
  rewarm it.