Jan 15, 2021

My Grandma’s Sushi Vinegar Recipe + How to Make Sushi Rice

I've been mentioning my grandma's sushi vinegar recipe over on Facebook for months now. My aunt sent it to me, and it was mind-boggling, because the original recipe called for a whopping 5 pounds of sugar and 6 cups of rice vinegar. My grandmother made a lot of sushi, so it probably didn't take her that long to go through the jug of sushi vinegar that recipe made, but there was no way I was going to commit to making that much. 

When I scaled the recipe down, I found it on the sweet side, so I made a few adjustments. I've been very happy with this version, which I store in a mason jar in the fridge. It would probably keep for years, but I make chirashizushi - bowls of sushi rice topped with sashimi and other accoutrements - about once a week. The amount of sushi vinegar produced by the recipe below lasts three to four months in my house.

Grandma’s Sushi Vinegar 
Makes approximately 2 cups

10 oz granulated sugar (I use organic sugar, which lends a brownish color to the final product, but the rice is still white)
1 1/2 cups rice vinegar 
2 tablespoons kosher salt 

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool completely and store in a glass jar in the fridge. 
A sideview of my jar of sushi vinegar (looks like it's got about one week's worth left) and the 8x8 glass pan I use to mix the vinegar and rice.

To use: For each cup of cooked rice, use three tablespoons of sushi vinegar. Transfer the rice to a shallow dish with a flat bottom (a wooden bowl like this one is traditional, but I just use a glass baking dish). Gently pour the sushi vinegar over the rice, then combine with a rice paddle, using cutting motions to cool the rice, taking care not to smash it. Cover with a damp dishcloth until serving so the rice doesn’t dry out. (Note: I only cook rice in a rice cooker, so I can't give you directions. I have this one, which I got last year and love.)


A bowl of sushi rice topped with hamachi (yellowtail), shredded egg, shredded nori (dried seaweed), and wakame (reconstituted seaweed). I put a cherry tomato in there to break up the dark colors, but it really doesn't belong. 😂



3 comments:

Unknown said...

How do you shred your egg? It looks too fine and consistent to be by hand, but maybe you’re just a whiz with a knife!

Chief Family Officer said...

It's all by hand! Beat an egg or two well, and cook crepe-like in a nonstick pan with cooking oil - it just takes a few minutes on the first side, a minute or less on the second. Stack the egg "crepes," roll, and chiffonade away. :)

Chief Family Officer said...

"cooking oil" - I meant the spray LOL