【Reading】しゃりきり

【English Name】Make sushi rice with vinegar

Shari-kiri refers to the entire process of combining sushi vinegar with freshly cooked rice to make vinegared rice (shari). It is an extremely important step directly linked to the finished quality of the sushi.

The basic procedure begins by spreading rice—cooked firm with slightly less water—into a sushi tub (also called a handai or hangiri). While the rice temperature is still high, sushi vinegar (awase-zu, blended from vinegar, salt, and sugar) is poured over the entire surface, and it is mixed quickly with cutting motions, holding the rice paddle flat. The name "kiru" (to cut) comes from the action of running the edge of the paddle sideways to blend in the seasoning without crushing the rice grains.

Once the sushi vinegar has been distributed throughout, the temperature is lowered all at once with a fan. The aim is to allow excess moisture to escape along with the steam and to suppress the dispersal of the vinegar's aroma by heat. Note that if fanning and mixing are done at the same time, the vinegar becomes harder to absorb into the interior of the rice, so as a principle these two actions are carried out separately.

Wooden tubs are chosen because they have excellent moisture absorption, and the tub itself takes on the excess moisture. The blending of the awase-zu varies by chef and by shop, with each having its own recipe, and fine adjustments are made depending on the rice variety and the balance with the topping to be placed on it. The state in which the temperature has dropped to about body temperature is the most delicious.