This ingredient is very rare on store shelves. All because it is expensive. Nevertheless, it is difficult to imagine the process of making sushi without such an ingredient. By the way, do you know how to cook rice vinegar for sushi at home? If not, you will find out now.
Rice vinegar and its application
In a big city with a lot of supermarkets, finding such vinegar is not difficult. In addition, there are always specialized stores in megacities. But what about those who live in a small town where rice vinegar is rightfully considered a scarce product? We have to think about where to find it. The question is as follows: "How to cook rice vinegar for sushi at home and is it possible to replace it with something?" There will be no problems with this, moreover, we will tell you how to make the substitution of the original version of vinegar unobtrusive, even if you cooked it at home or replaced it with something else. Taste qualities, of course, will vary slightly, but still ...
What is rice vinegar
This product is widely used in cooking, especially internationally. Of Asian vinegar, this is the most common option in European cuisine. The technology of its preparation is complex and lengthy, but nevertheless, you can cook it at home.
Of the variety, the simplest in terms of reproducing the recipe at home is white rice vinegar. It is characterized by a mild, sweetish taste, which makes it possible to use the product not only in sushi, but also for dressing salads. With rice, it is combined better than the same red or black rice vinegar.
The intricacies of home cooking and features of rice vinegar
In its popularity, white rice vinegar is compared with the much-adored white French wine, and even surpasses it in its subtlety and tenderness.
By the way, white rice vinegar can be replaced with wine or apple. They are used as an alternative. However, the use of such a product entails the possibility of changing the taste of the dish, therefore it is recommended to dilute the vinegar with water. Therefore, the question often arises: "How to cook rice vinegar for sushi?"
Purchasing options and their feature
It is worth noting that some manufacturers have low-quality products due to the dilution of ordinary wine or apple vinegar, adding sugar to it. Such manipulations result in a fluid simulating rice vinegar. But is the use of such a product worth the unjustified victims in terms of culinary art? Therefore, it is best to always read the composition printed on the bottle label.
Please note that some recipes using rice vinegar as an ingredient for dressing, in addition to it, include granulated sugar. When making rice sushi vinegar for sushi at home, this ingredient can be eliminated, because rice vinegar itself is already sweet, and excess sugar can give it a cloying taste, which will negatively affect the taste of sushi. If you prefer sweeter options, you can add sugar, only in a minimal amount.
Rice vinegar for sushi at home
Of the ingredients you will need:
- round-grain rice - 1 tbsp .;
- chicken protein - 1 pc.;
- water - 4 tbsp .;
- sugar 300 g;
- dry yeast - ¼ s. t
A step-by-step guide on how to make rice vinegar for sushi at home is as follows:
- Round grain rice is washed and poured with cold water. It is better to leave it for 4 hours at room temperature, and then put it in the refrigerator and leave it until morning.
- After time, the cereal is filtered through cheesecloth, without pressing. For the further preparation of rice vinegar, rice grains themselves are not required. Further we will work only with rice infusion.
- 300 grams of granulated sugar is added to the rice infusion and mixed until completely dissolved.
- The resulting syrup is boiled for 20 minutes by placing the dish in a water bath.
- Ready rice syrup is cooled to 38 ° C. It is at this temperature that dry yeast is well dissolved in the liquid (indicated on the package).
- Cooled, as mentioned earlier, the syrup is poured into a sterile glass container with a volume of 2-3 liters. So how do you cook rice vinegar for sushi next?
- 1.4 teaspoons of dry yeast (according to the recipe) are added.
- The vessel is covered with gauze and left to ripen at room temperature in a shaded place for seven days.
- A week later, the preparation of rice vinegar is poured into another sterile glass container, being careful not to shake. The precipitate is left.
- The vessel is covered with gauze and left for another month under the same conditions as for the first time.
- After 30 days, rice vinegar is drained, leaving the residue in a jar.
- Before bottling for long-term storage, rice vinegar is boiled.
- During the boiling process, 1 egg white is added to the liquid, which helps clear vinegar from turbidity.
- Then vinegar is filtered and poured into a sterile container, preferably bottles tightly closed with lids.
That's the whole technology of making rice vinegar. It is ready and can be used for dressing rice for sushi and rolls, salads. Now you know how to make rice vinegar for sushi - go for it!
Replacement Options
The question associated with whether it is possible to replace rice vinegar, we often meet. Therefore, these options will come in handy if for you the topic of replacing rice vinegar with other products is still relevant. You can replace it:
- Four tablespoons of grape vinegar mixed with one teaspoon of salt and three teaspoons of sugar. All this should be put on fire and cook until sugar dissolves. It is not advisable to bring the mixture to a boil. Cool after cooking.
- One tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with the addition of one teaspoon of sugar and half a teaspoon of salt. To all this, you need to add one and a half tablespoons of boiling water. The mixture is stirred until the sugar has dissolved, and then added as a dressing to the dish.
- Lemon juice with added sugar.
- The usual 6% white wine, apple cider vinegar (50 ml) mixed with soy sauce (50 ml) and 20 grams of sugar.
Summing Up Cooking Rice Vinegar
These are the options for cooking vinegar, which can replace rice, at home and without any specific ingredients.
Some chefs fear that such an alternative could ruin the taste of sushi. But if you do everything right, do not overdo it with salt and sugar, then you will not notice the difference between the purchased draft option and home-made vinegar.
As you can see, this process is not so fast, but if you still want to cope with the preparation of rice vinegar at home, then feel free to get down to business. We are sure that you will succeed.