Mark Bittman's Sushi Rice

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice vinegar
• ⅜ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons salt, plus a pinch
• 1 piece konbu (kelp), about 3 or 4 inches square
• 2 cups short-grain white rice
• 1 teaspoon sake, optional

4 to 6 servings

Preparation

1. Combine vinegar, sugar and 2 tablespoons salt in a container and shake or stir until dissolved. Add konbu and let sit about 30 minutes before removing konbu and covering container. Let sit for at least 2 hours and up to several days. (Room temperature is fine.)
2. Wash rice in several changes of water until water runs clear. Combine with sake, a pinch of salt, and 2 1/2 cups water (if you’re using a rice cooker) or 3 cups water (if you’re cooking it on stovetop). Cook until water is absorbed, 38 minutes in a rice cooker, about 25 minutes in a covered pot over medium-low heat.
3. Turn rice into a large bowl, preferably wooden, and let cool for 15 minutes.
4. Using a rubber spatula, a wooden paddle or spoon, gently fold sweetened vinegar into rice, a little at a time. You will probably need about 1/2 cup for this amount of rice, but a little bit less or more is fine. Rice should be glistening and moist but not wet, and sweet but not overly so. Use immediately with sushi toppings of your choice.

30 to 40 minutes