Sushi rice
Oryza sativa subsp. japonica · Grain
Top 10 pairings
Sushi rice is short-grain Japanese japonica rice — the prized table cultivars such as Koshihikari and Sasanishiki — whose plump, almost round grains cook up tender, glossy and distinctively sticky, so they cling into the cohesive clumps that sushi, onigiri and rice bowls demand. When dressed warm with rice vinegar, sugar and salt, this seasoned rice (shari) becomes the savoury-sour, lightly glistening foundation of nigiri and maki.
Picking a good onedrag
Sound dry grain, fragrant or cleanly neutralRancid crayon, or holed and webbed
Pantry standardEveryday bestRice takes up arsenic you can't see. Rinse it, cook it in plenty of water, then drain.
Smell at the open bagAlmost nothing, as white rice is
White or brown, whole or milledBrown, red or black: buy small
The grains themselvesA few chalky grains, broken tips
A handful through your fingersA little starchy powder, normal
These cues are Rice's, and hold across its varieties; where this one differs, its own page says so.