We’ll be covering the various sauces we use in our Japanese and Korean cooking classes. In this video we cover our sushi rice seasoning, which is used to both season rice and make it easier to spread for sushi rolls, such as the California roll.
This recipe is quick and easy and can be made in either the microwave or stovetop. We use the microwave in this video.
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 cup rice vinegar (can substitute with white vinegar… balsamic, apple cider, etc. are not suitable)
- 1 tsp. salt
- (Optional) 1 Tbsp Mirin sauce
Directions
- In a saucepan (for stovetop) or microwave-safe bowl add the sugar, vinegar, salt and mirin.
- Stir and heat. In the microwave, it should start to boil after 3~4 minutes.
- Stir mid-way and keep heating until it comes to a boil.
- Stir again, making sure any sugar is fully dissolved.
- Let it cool and bottle for seasoning your rice for sushi making.
It’s important to use a good rice vinegar for the best flavor. A white vinegar is also acceptable, but perhaps not quite as flavorful as rice vinegar. Don’t try to substitute with balsamic or apple cider vinegar though, as the flavor and acidity will be over-powering.
The mirin isn’t necessary, however, it can add a bit of umami flavor, sweetness and extra kick to the rice. Kikoman’s Mirin sauces are commonly found at Asian grocery stores. Mirin can also be made at home easily as it’s basically sugar and a rice wine or sherry. We’ll try to cover making your own mirin sauce soon as we’re currently focused on the various sauces and ingredients used in our Japanese and Korean cooking classes.
Video Recipe for Sushi Rice Seasoning
Click on the video below to follow along or scroll past to view the ingredient list and directions.