【Reading】しんすい

【English Name】Soaking

Shinsui (soaking) is the process of soaking rice in water before cooking it. It is one of the indispensable preparatory steps when cooking sushi rice (shari); by having the rice grains uniformly absorb moisture all the way to their core, a plump, fluffy cooked result is achieved.

The soaking time varies with the season and the rice variety, with about 30 minutes serving as a guideline in summer and about 1 to 2 hours in winter. The lower the water temperature, the slower the rate of water absorption, so a longer soaking is required in cold periods. If soaking is insufficient, the core tends to remain undercooked, while conversely, if it is too long, the rice becomes prone to crumbling, affecting how it comes apart and its texture when combined with vinegar.

Among sushi artisans, the degree of soaking is considered an important factor that governs the finished quality of the shari. There is also a technique of entering the soaking stage after passing through the "zaru-age" process—lifting the rice into a colander after washing to drain off the water—and the procedures vary from establishment to establishment.