Cooking Rice

Recently, most sushi chefs cook rice with a rice cooker. It is easy, and requires less attention to the cooking process. There are still some chefs that go far as trying to emphasize the actual rice, and to do that, they use an old fashion Japanese stove or kama and use a iron pot to cook the rice. The heat distribution of an iron pot is just about perfect for Japanese rice, but it requires stronger heat. This is fulfilled by the kama. This makes the rice cook evenly, and have a fluffier result. After the rice is washed to get rid of extra talc, fresh spring water is added and a piece of binchotan or Japanese charcoal (water insoluble) is added before the wooden lid is placed. The charcoal will get rid of any impurities in taste while it is cooking the rice, and lighten the flavor as much as possible. Some chefs may throw in a piece of kombu to flavor the rice, and not include it in their sushi rice vinegar. Once it is cooked, the pot is taken off the stove and a handful of clean wara (hay) is placed in the pot and closed again to soak out extra moisture. It takes a frequent rice consumer to know the difference, but these intricate details are characteristics of true sushi chefs.