This recipe for sushi vinegar is for a type of Sushi called EDOMAE. It originates in Tokyo and is the typical flavour of what is most commonly known as “Sushi” outside of Japan. Slightly sour rice and raw fish on top.
Personally I mostely use a different kind of ratio for KAMIGATA Sushi that is more popular in Kyoto, but I wanted to show you how the Edomae Style is made as well. Technically speaking Nigiri Sushi (which I associated with Sushi befor coming to Japan and which you can see in the front of the photo) should be made with Edomae Style vinegar and most rolls like Futomaki should be made with Kamigata vinegar. So it definietly pays off to know how to make both types.
Sushi vinegar – Tokyo style
Tokyo style Sushi vinegar is a bit on the more sour side. In this style sushi you are supposed to cool the rice down by fanning it while mixing to prevent too much vinegar from sinking into the rice and making it mushy. In contrast to Kyoto style Sushi rice which is more sweet and should sink into the rice and leave a shiny coating on the outside.
ingredients
- 85 ml of rice vinegar
- 38 g sugar (type: Jouhakuto)
- 18g uniodized salt
directions
- Put all ingredients into a pot and heat up gently while stirring. The goal is to dissolve the sugar and salt, not boil the vinegar.
- Pour mixture over freshly cooked Sushi rice and mix without crushing the rice grains (it does not matter whether the vinegar is hot or cold – the rice will be hot enough to equalize the temperature).
- Put a moist cloth over the rice to prevent it from drying out.
Personally I think it’s super interesting how much thought gets put into such small details as how to make the vinegared rice to compliment the specific ingredients in the sushi.
I hope you had fun and learned something new. I’d be delighted to hear from you! Leave a comment under this post or use the contact formular to reach out directly.
Japanese Cuisine 
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