# Sushi rice for risotto?



## rocio (Feb 8, 2005)

Hello! I saw a cooking show on TV yesterday where they used sushi rice instead of Arborio rice for risotto. Has anybody tried this? Could this be possible? I´m curious about this, but I´m not sure I want to risk it without knowing somebody else´s experience.
Thanks!
Rocio:chef:


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Done it before. No great dissapointment.


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## markv (May 16, 2003)

"Sushi" rice and arbrorio rice have one vital element in common: 

they are both short grain rices that contain higher amounts of certain carbohydrates. These starches cause the stickiness in "sushi" rice and the creaminess in a risottto, (when it is adequately stirrred with liquid for the necessary amount of time).

Don't think in terms of the final dish such as "sushi" rice or "risotto" rice.

Think in terms of short, medium, and long grain rice, which differ in the amount of and types of carbohydrates, with subsequent variations in the texture/consistency of the final product.

Mark


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## jock (Dec 4, 2001)

Picking others' brains is definately one way to gather information but I also think that making one's own mistakes and learning from them can be a valuable learning experience. 

Will it work? Won't it? Try it and see for yourself. If you are looking at a $100 prime rib roast, you might want to get some serious advice. But for a handful of rice and a half hour of your time the experiment is well worth it for the first hand experience you will gain. Then you will be in a position (like Kuan and Mark) to offer good advice to others based on your own experience.

Jock


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## rocio (Feb 8, 2005)

Thank you everyone for your comments. I agree with Jock about trying things myself, but since I´ve never made risotto, I wouldn´t like to try it first with another kind of rice....It was just curiosity, because whenever I gather some time to dedicate it once again to the kitchen, my first try will be at risotto.
THANKS!!!
Rocio:chef:


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Cheese and rice work well whether in risotto or not. Jeff Smith attributes a cheesy rice dish to Jefferson who stole rice from Italy during his travels. It's essentially a risotto with a long grain rice. Texture is different but it's not bad in its own right. 

Rice, refried beans and cheese is quite a pleasing combination to me, the mushy beans acting as the sauce instead of a risottos jellied starch...

Phil


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

oh Phil, jellied starch?!!!! ugh.

I was goofing off the other day making basterdized sashimi rolls....my Japanese version of burritos....and the rice stayed on the stove alittle too long and crisped on the bottom into a nice golden nut crunchy layer. I've had Vietnamese dishes with this as the base and saucey meat/veg on top.
Too fun to discover it on my own....

Sashimi/Sushi at my house is messy and goo filled.....nori is layered with rice then spicy chili/garlic sauce with lemon in mayo then an assortment of veg....usually cukes, carrots, pickled Asian radish, sugar peas, green onions, then any shrimp, tuna, fish eggs, eel.......messy yet oh so yummy. we don't even cut them just eat them like burritos.


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## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

Shroom, I dined recently at the home of a colleague of my husband's. He's from Persia (Turkmen ancestry). His wife made fesenjan and served it with rice. He told me that the tadiq, the golden crust, was reserved for the elders or guests at his family's table back home. I can see why: it's tasty! :lips:


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Well, I should have said gelled, but that's what it does!

Phil


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## jock (Dec 4, 2001)

My wife tells me that when she was a kid growing up in China, the children used to fight over who gets the "burned" bit at the bottom of the rice pot. I must say, it doesn't do much for me.

Jock


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## higjse (Feb 8, 2006)

Ive used sushi rice for risotto, it works fine... actually for certain dishes I like using it better... It cooks faster than arborio or carnaroli from what Ive experienced... Were you watching Simply Ming? or one of his other shows?


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

nope don't have a television....haven't had one for 5+ years. Only occasionally do I see TV. The exercise place has televisions hooked up to the stationary bikes, I sometimes end up seeing cooking shows but it's hit or miss.


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## nentony (May 7, 2005)

In a Paella, that crusty rice on the bottom is called "socarrat" and is very desirable.

Tony


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## rocio (Feb 8, 2005)

Yes, exactly that show. It was my first time, and sincerely, the only thing that I found I could like from that show was the thing that the last chef made with his magic broth....
Thank you all for your comments!
Rocio:chef:


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Isn't it funny that all these other cultures value the crunchy toasty browned rice and run of the mill USA citizens consider it "burned".


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## rocio (Feb 8, 2005)

In my home (daughter of Equatorian and Spanish) my little sister and my mom actually used to fight for the "burned" part of the rice.....I never did acquire a taste for that, though. So...I was thinking about the sushi rice for the risotto...Should I wash it the way it is washed for sushi? or should I just follow a risotto recipe but with the sushi rice?
THANKS!!


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## willowsmoon (Apr 19, 2014)

Greetings, I have been a cook my entire adult life, from bakery owner to personal chef, to coffee house and deli owner.... My cooking career spans more than 4 decades. That being said, I have always loved to experiment, every recipe is made the original way... then I put a twist on it, it never fails...but, Sometimes you do not have the additional time or resources to be able to go shopping for something that isn't in the pantry for whatever reason. Here I sit, wondering what I should take to a casual Easter lunch in the park, when a coconut risotto pudding made with...arborio rice naturally...topped with a wonderful diced mango... and what I have in the pantry is Sushi rice. I neither have the time, nor inclination to drive to the co op to buy arborio, 

So to see if my sushi rice will work, I ask you fine chefs... In my world, where EVERY ingredient is Organic and EXPENSIVE, I have no desire to ruin 2 beautiful cans of Organic coconut cream and 5 1/2 cups of Organic milk, not to mention Organic free range eggs and a half hour of my time trying something that may fail miserably... I say... touch base with someone who knows that is, after all, why we are here... Blessings, and 5 yums up....


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

@WillowsMoon the only type of rice I have at any given moment is what you would call sushi rice.

Medium grain rice is on our table most nights, served steamed with shoyu and furikake on top, YUM!

Sushi rice makes a wonderful pudding, but then it wouldn't be considered risotto would it, not using the arborio that is,

but simply coconut rice pudding with mangos, which sounds lovely to me.


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## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

Hey willowsmoon welcome in.

Another rice that I've found seems to work well is Cal-rose--half the price of Aborio --I've made both creamy, brothy Risottos and rice puddings with it. 

As far as the expensive ingreds--if you're experimenting with one ingredient like the rice, you can always substitute cheaper ingredients 
that you already know will cook the same, while you're perfecting your recipe. Then its just a matter of subbing in the Coco milk etc that you want
to use in the end product..


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

Meezenplaz said:


> ...I've found seems to work well is Cal-rose...


yup!

+1

hinode calrose rice, what I call just rice, always in our house...





  








hinode.jpg




__
kaneohegirlinaz


__
Apr 20, 2014


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## steve tphc (Sep 18, 2012)

Why would you want to? The Italians have specific brands of rice ([if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <wunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <wontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif][if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif][if gte mso 10]><![endif]very large grain varieties) that have been optimized for risotto. Other rice would be hard pressed to both be creamy on the outside while the interior is "al dente".


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## madonnadp (Oct 25, 2011)

It's not only a matter of how the rice cooks but the flavor. In Italy we use different varieties of rice, not only arborio for risotto. I use carnaroli which has a wonderful nutty taste and does not overocook. I have never made risotto with sushi rice wich is quite difficult to find in Italy anyway but  I have tasted a variety of types of rice - and plenty sushi -  as I have traveled a lot in Asia. To me it does not taste the same as even the most ordinary risotto rice. It's like making a bruschetta with the wrong bread. It's still bread, and you can spread it with garlic and douse it with olive oil but the final risult will be something dfferent.


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## meezenplaz (Jan 31, 2012)

> Why would you want to? The Italians have specific brands of rice (very large grain varieties) that have been optimized for risotto.


True. And I would use aborio if I had it or if available. And wanted a standard Risotto. If not available and Cal rose, or sushi,

or some other is... or was possibly going for something new and varied, well we're talking about suitable substitutes here. 


> Other rice would be hard pressed to both be creamy on the outside while the interior is "al dente".


Again we're brainstorming the few rices that actually could compare to classic Aborio in texture, creaminess,

and absorption performance, while still remaining al dente....and just plain yummy. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif


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## steve tphc (Sep 18, 2012)

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Growing superior rice for risotto in Italy is akin to cultivating great grapes for fine wine. By way of example, Maratelli rice is native to the Asigliano Vercellese province of Vercelli northern Italy and has been under cultivation for 100 years. It is considered one of the great rice types for the perfect risotto. The grain resists over cooking and due to its medium size, it cooks faster than the larger grain Arborio rice but slower than the small grain. This difference makes the task of rendering perfect results more tolerance but fast enough not to overly stress the restaurant chef who needs quick product for his customers. The Italians are critical of the finish result; creamy while al dente and appearance are all important.

I could use some other rice for risotto and I could cook while standing on one leg, but it would not be my first choice.


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

I think that the OP is looking to make rice pudding rather than risotto


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