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Let me list some easy to very difficult tips:
Use spring/filtered water to cook rice (Easy)
Neglected by many, this is simple and makes a world of difference. Come to think of it, the food we eat contains water — a lot of them. So, it makes sense to use quality water for cooking.
Use filtered or spring water to wash and cook.
Soak before cooking rice (Easy)
The flavor of rice, glucose lies at its core. Soaking helps to bring out more flavor, helps to cook the fully puffed grain. Also, the rice stays intact even after cool. A minimum of fifteen minutes is what I recommend. If you have extra time, thirty minutes of soaking is good.
The texture of rice when making a nigiri (Very Difficult)
Japanese consider the texture of the food essential — as crucial as the taste. Needless to say, Sushi rice is no exception.
When making a nigiri, you are supposed to press the thumb against the sushi rice to create an air pocket, then fold the rice to seal.
You then apply enough pressure so that the rice sticks together, keeping each grain intact. The ideal nigiri rice should break apart when you put in your mouth.
This sounds simple and is the most difficult to master. I can explain the principle here, but the only way you know how much pressure to apply is through practice.
For Hosomaki, seaweed out thin roll, the perfect texture of the rice is that when you pour soy sauce, it should run through straight from its top to the bottom.
In other words, sushi rice is not crushed or sardine-packed like, but have some empty space in between. This is very difficult. I don’t know how to do it, or cannot do this.
According to chef Mizutani, who was an apprentice of Jiro Ono, the only person who could do this is Jiro Ono.