Sushi rice

Place the rice in a bowl with some cold water and swirl with your hand. Drain the water and then repeat the same process 3-5 times until the water is more or less clear. Drain the rice in a sieve and then allow to sit for 30 minutes. This will ensure that the rice cooks evenly without becoming too soft and sticky.

Place the rice and 625ml water in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to the boil over a medium heat then reduce the heat and put on the lid. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Take off the heat, remove the lid and put a tea towel over the pan. Put the lid back on, and leave for a further 10 minutes.

Take the rice out of the pan using a non metal spoon and place in a wide, shallow container. Spread the rice evenly over the bowl taking care not to crush the grains.

Add the sushi vinegar promptly, pouring it as evenly as possible over the rice. Using the spoon, make gentle cutting and folding movements to incorporate the vinegar thoroughly into the rice, being sure not to squash the rice by mashing or stirring.

At the same time as cutting and folding, fan the rice with a paper fan to ensure it cools down quickly. You may wish to ask someone to help you at this point. It should take about 10 minutes for the rice to have cooled down, by which point all the rice is coated evenly with vinegar.

You should be left with rice that has a beautiful lustre, and does not stick together in lumps or clumps. The sushi rice should be covered with a clean cloth until it is required and within an hour of preparation. Do not refrigerate it as this will make it hard and unpleasant.