sushi rice

Yes, Terreus, this is for you:

Provided you have the right type of sushi rice (sumeshi), it should look after itself provided you get certain things right.

i) Ensure it actually is the right type of rice; in a moment of desperation, any short grain, high starch rice like Arborio or Carnaroli might work, but you really want the real McKoy; Shinode or similar (i.e. a real Japanese rice) from an Asian supermarket is perfect.

ii) Regular cooking routine; the rice needs to be washed five or six times to remove powdered starch, and the right quantity of water added. On a regular gas hob, the formula for rice:water applies for all types of rice except green and black rices, which can be cooked for just a little longer with more water:

Measure your rice out by volume, for example, two bowls. Add the same volume of water, plus half; in this case two bowls of water, plus one, totalling three.

The water should be cold - Europeans tend to boil their water, then add the rice, which is a quick path to yucky rice - and the lot brought to boil on a high flame. Once it starts boiling, turn down the heat slightly to maintain the boil. Keep it boiling for ten minutes exactly, stirring only occasionally to prevent sticking on the bottom of the pan.

Once your ten minutes has elapsed, turn off the gas, stir the rice once more, and immediately cover with a tight fitting lid or dinner plate. Give it another ten minutes, remove cover, stir and serve, but if you leave it for longer, it just gets fluffier and better.

This is exactly what a rice cooker does, and if you have one of those, just follow the directions!

iii) In the case of sushi rice, the water will acquire a thick glutinous texture not unlike... oh can I say that here? Meh. Anyway, this is normal, and stirring the rice will coat the grains in this sumptuous starch glue as it reduces.

As soon as you've removed the cover from the cooked rice, add your sushi-so (rice vinegar); about one tablespoon per cup measure of rice. Mix it in throughly, and with a slight slight chopping motion, air out the rice so that it begins to cool down really quickly (transferring it to a cold mixing bowl will help). Set aside to cool completely after a good minute or so of this rice karate (overdoing it risks breaking up the rice, so be gentle).

By the time it is cold, you'll wonder how you can make the rice not stick to everything it touches, including your fingers; a good homosexual will probably keep a bowl of tepid water and a little sushi-so to the side. Dip your fingers into it before working the rice and it'll all be a lot simpler.