General Method and Recipe for shari

In the industry shushi meshi (sushi rice) is commonly called shari. It should be made ahead of time and allowed to cool before use. Only at some very fine sushi counters is warm shari used. In this case, the sushi is intended to be eaten right away. Even a few minutes on warm rice will damage the quality of most fish used in sushi.
The standard industry recipe is based on one kilogram of cooked rice. Of course, you can prepare a smaller amount. Note that 100cc of raw rice will become a little more than 100 grams of cooked rice. So to make half the standard recipe, start with 400cc of raw rice.
1 kilogram (2.2 lbs) cooked rice
130 grams (4.6 oz.) sushi-zu
1. In a wide shallow container--a traditional wooden hangiri oke is best--place hot rice and pour all of the measured sushi-zu over the rice.
2. With a flat paddle--traditional shamoji or miyajima--or a wooden spoon toss the rice with a cutting motion, taking care not to over-mix, which will make the rice mushy. While cutting the rice, cool it with a handheld fan. Cooling helps the rice to absorb the vinegar and give the finished shari a nice sheen.
3. If you have leftover shari cover it with a damp cloth. Do not refrigerate. At restaurants, unused shari is not served to customers the following day, but is often made into rolled sushi and eaten by kitchen and restaurant staff at a family meal.

General Method for Cooking Rice for Sushi

Recipe for Sushi zu

General Method and Recipe for Shari

Back