Sushi Rice

The way you prepare your rice is essential to mastering making sushi at home. After all, you only have two things you’re working with, rice and fish. So, to help improve our sushi-rice making skills, we turned to Chef Yoshi Okai, the head chef at Otoko here in Austin and winner of Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2017.

While it’s important to use sushi rice, it’s equally important to wash it. “You don’t want to use too much water pressure,” Chef Yoshi said, “otherwise it will get mushy.”

After washing it until water runs clear, Chef Yoshi cooks it in a 4QT Saucepan, lets it sit, and then takes it out and puts it into a hangiri, so it can cool evenly. While placing the rice in the hangiri, he makes sure to remove all of the crispy bits, to ensure none of them end up in his nigiri.

Finally, to season it, Chef Yoshi uses rice vinegar to give it a little bit more flavor. Once gently mixed, he covers it with a damp towel until it is ready to be served.