Part 4: Sushi--page 2

1/2 cup	vinegar
2 tablespoons	sugar
1 teaspoon	salt
2 cups	rice (see Part 2 of A Japanese Cookbook for Kids)

Dissolve sugar and salt in vinegar and store in a glass container. Cook rice, using equal amounts of rice and water (a little less water than normal to make the rice harder). After the rice is fully cooked, let stand for about 10 minutes.

Empty rice into a large, flat container and sprinkle about half the vinegar dressing. Mix the rice and vinegar with cutting strokes, fanning the rice at the same time to cool quickly. Taste the rice, adding more vinegar to enhance sharpness (the vinegar dressing should be enough for 3 to 4 cups of rice).

Most sushi restaurants in Tokyo don't use sugar in the vinegar dressing to bring out the freshness of the raw fish. A slightly milder mixture, though, goes better with sushi prepared at home. In the Kansai region around Osaka and Kyoto, more sugar and salt are used. Use the blend that's just right for you!
Sushi tastes best when you use Japonica-type medium-grain rice and vinegar made from rice or other grains grown in Japan.

Egg sheets

2	eggs
1/4 teaspoon	salt
2 teaspoons	sake

Beat eggs and mix in salt and sake. Heat and lightly oil frying pan (about 7 inches in diameter). Pour just enough of the egg mixture (a little more than a tablespoon) so that it spreads thinly over the bottom, like a crepe. Cook over a low flame. When the bottom is set, turn the sheet over and cook lightly, being careful not to allow it to burn. Repeat to make several thin sheets. Cut into fine strips after cooling.