Ok, the rice has been washed and is done cooking and now it’s time make sumeshi – or vinegared rice. Remove the lid from the rice cooker and test a small amount of rice. If it seems too hard, let it sit in the rice cooker a few more minutes.
A wooden sushi-oke and a shamoji are the basic tools used to mix the cooked rice with your sushi vinegar. A sushi-oke is made of cypress wood and helps absorb excess moisture. However, this is not necessary. A large bowl and spoon will do the job.
1. If you are using a wooden sushi-oke, fill it up with water and let it sit for about 30 minutes, and then drain.
2. Empty your rice into your bowl or sushi-oke.
3. Pour the sushi vinegar slowly and evenly over the rice. If you are cooking 3 cups of sushi rice, add 1/4 cup of the sushi vinegar. Warm the sushi vinegar in the microwave before using.
4. Cut the rice. At this point, you want to spread the rice around with a cutting motion to help cool it down and break-up any clumps of rice. Do this several times from side to side of the sushi-oke while fanning the rice. Cooling the rice down quickly will give the rice a more polish look and will also help the rice absorb the sushi vinegar. Gather the rice to one side of your container, cover with a clean, damp cloth until it is cool enough to use (slightly wamer than room temperature).
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