How to Make Sushi Rice in a Rice Cooker

Co-authored by Daniel Siriban

If you love sushi, then you may want to learn how to make it at home. The basis for great sushi is perfectly cooked and seasoned rice. Using a rice cooker is a quick and effective way to get perfectly cooked rice. Washing the rice to remove excess starch from the surface is important to keep the rice from being too sticky. After that, your rice cooker does most of the work.

Ingredients

3 cups (710 ml) of short grain, medium grain, or sushi rice
Cold water
1/2 cup (118 ml) of rice vinegar
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of salt

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Rinsing the Rice

1
Buy short-grain, medium-grain, or sushi rice.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Daniel Siriban
Japanese Personal Chef
Expert Interview. 1 September 2021.} Sushi is made with short-grained rice because it sticks together better than long-grain rice. When you’re shopping for rice be sure to get one of the kinds that is not long-grain.^{[2]
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- Although it’s not impossible to use long-grain, it will not work as well as the shorter ones and you will probably need more water.^{[3]
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  Expert Source
  
  Daniel Siriban
  Japanese Personal Chef
  Expert Interview. 1 September 2021.}
2
Measure and pour the amount of rice you want into a sieve. Use a colander style sieve with holes that are small enough that the rice won’t fall through. Follow the instructions on the package of rice to measure out the amount you want to cook.^{[4]
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- If you use a rice cooker measuring cup, remember it is probably not a standard U.S. cup (237 ml).
- The package of rice and the rice cooker are likely to have different instructions for measuring the rice. Since the rice cooker is designed specifically, follow its directions over the rice package.
- Remember that rice expands as it cooks, so one uncooked cup of rice might be close to two cooked cups of rice.
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3
Set a bowl in the sink and hold the sieve over it. Grab a regular bowl, or basin of any kind, and set it under your faucet in the sink. As water strains through the rice and falls into the bowl, you’ll be able to gauge when the rice is completely rinsed.
4
Let cold water run over the rice. Turn the faucet on cold and begin to rinse the rice. This is necessary because packaged rice has lots of powdery starch in it. The rice needs to be washed completely so that it cooks up properly and doesn’t become too gooey.^{[5]
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- Cold water works best so that the rice doesn’t start cooking while you wash it.
- If you want to conserve water, just fill the bowl and set the sieve down into it. The rice won’t get as clean this way, but it will still rinse off most of the powder.
5
Stir the rice around with your hands. Use your hands to gently massage and stir the rice so that each grain gets rinsed completely. Don’t press or squeeze the rice, as this will break the grains. As you rinse the rice, watch how the water in the bowl turns hazy from the powder.^{[6]
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- As you stir, look for any foreign objects that may have ended up in the rice. Most rice won’t have an excessive amount of non-rice, but it’s always good to check.
6
Stop washing the rice when the water under it is clear again. When the water in the bowl is clear and not hazy, the rice is completely rinsed. Turn the water off and empty the bowl of rinse water.^{[7]
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7
Lay the rice out flat to dry. Set out a cookie sheet or some wax paper and pour the rice out on it. Spread it around with your hand so it forms a single layer and is not piled up. Leave the rice sitting to dry for about 15 minutes.^{[8]
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- If you are in a hurry, it’s not absolutely necessary to dry the rice, but it helps it cook better.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Cooking the Rice

1
Add the rice to the rice cooker. Scoop the rice into a pile and begin transferring it from the drying surface into the rice cooker. Be sure you haven’t measured out more rice than your rice cooker can handle at one time. If any rice sticks to the sides, brush it down with the rest.^{[9]
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2
Pour the directed amount of cold water into the rice cooker. If you used a standard U.S. measuring cup to measure the rice, rice preparation instructions typically call for an equal amount of water.^{[10]
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Expert Source

Daniel Siriban
Japanese Personal Chef
Expert Interview. 1 September 2021.} If you used a cup that came with the rice cooker, follow the rice cooker directions for how much water to use.^{[11]
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- Rice cookers often have water fill lines, so if you used one rice cooker cup of rice, you’d fill to the line marked “1.”
- Never guess how much water the rice needs. Either follow the rice package instructions or follow the rice cooker instructions.
3
Plug the rice cooker in and turn it on. Each rice cooker is different, but it is best to fill it with the rice and water before you plug it in. Otherwise it might start cooking before you are ready. If your rice cooker has multiple settings, consult the user manual. It may even have a setting for cooking sushi rice.
- Be sure to set the rice cooker on a sturdy surface. Keep other objects away as heating elements always present a potential hazard.
4
Allow the rice cooker to work. Close the lid on the rice cooker and leave it to cook the rice. You don’t need to stir the rice while it cooks, but pay attention to how long it needs to cook. This is determined more by the model of rice cooker you have than by anything else.
- Your rice cooker may have a timer or an automatic shut-off, but if not, be sure to set a timer as directed by the rice package or the rice cooker instructions. Rice will overcook if you leave it in for too long.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Adding the Sushi Seasoning

1
Mix up the seasoning using rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. In a small bowl, combine ½ cup (118 ml) of rice vinegar (not any other kind of vinegar), two tablespoons (30 ml) of sugar, and two teaspoons (9.9 ml) of salt. Stir until the dry ingredients dissolve.^{[12]
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- These proportions are for three uncooked cups (710 ml) of rice. Adjust the proportions as needed for smaller or larger batches of rice. Seasoning comes down to preference, so you may want a stronger or weaker taste.
- If you don’t want to mix it yourself, look for bottled “Sushi Vinegar” at the grocery store.
2
Put the rice into a large bowl and add the seasoning. Scoop the rice out of the rice cooker into a large bowl. Pour the seasoning evenly over the rice. You may even want to add just a little of the seasoning at a time, mix it thoroughly, and taste it. Add more seasoning to your preference.
3
Mix the seasoning into the rice. Using a rice paddle or wide spatula, stir the rice gently so that the vinegar mixture coats every grain as evenly as possible. Mix for a few minutes to distribute it. As you mix the sushi rice, don’t smash the rice and try not to break the grains.^{[13]
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4
Finished.