Shirakiku Dried Grains & Rice - Japanese Koshihikari Short Grain White Rice - Premium Quality Sticky Sushi Rice Raw 4.4 Pound Bag

I am not a rice connoisseur, but I can cook many styles of rice successfully in a traditional stove-top pot. What I like about this brand is that all the grains hydrate and cook properly every time, with an excellent texture. Many short-grain "supermarket" sushi-style rice often cook inconsistently (hence the need for a rice cooker). I'm very pleased, as it is expensive rice.

Very good quality very tasty

I love this luxurious rice. I make it in my Instant Pot (using a modified Alton Brown's Sushi Rice recipe) and it comes out amazing every time. It aint cheap but it is delicious and reminds me of the rice The Hubs and I enjoyed in Japan two years ago. Ingredients 2 cups sushi or short grain rice 2 cups water, plus extra for rinsing rice 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon kosher salt Directions Rinse the rice with water, pour off and repeat 2 to 3 times or until the water runs clear. Spray the inner pot with cooking spray, then dump the wet rice and 2 cups of water into the pot, seal the lid, and select the rice button. Once done, remove the pot from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl and heat in the microwave on high for 30 to 45 seconds. Transfer the rice into a large wooden or glass mixing bowl and add the vinegar mixture. Fold thoroughly to combine and coat each grain of rice with the mixture. Allow to cool to room temperature before using to make sushi or sashimi.

I love making nigiri, Maki rolls, hand rolls, Donburi bowls. And have sampled many Michelin starred sushi restaurants. I can’t compete with them, but I can produce sushi as good as less restaurant. I go into more detail in my cookbook, "Four Star Cooking for Friends". Cooked in a rice cooker, I’ve tried many, cheaper versions, and more expensive, imported from Japan, versions. Most of the cheaper, and other US grown were not as good. Some shouldn’t even use the phrase ‘Sushi Rice' as they didn’t have near enough stickiness for hand made nigiri. The imported Japanese versions were twice the price and barely discernible as better. And so, after a little research, I was pleasantly surprised to find this one which is now my goto sushi rice. New Crop not new crop? Sometimes I’ve received New Crop sometimes not, it doesn’t make that much difference. Happy with either. Looking expensive these days, but I’ll stick with it.

This koshihikari cultivar grown in California is half the price of similar rice I bought on Amazon from Niigata, Japan, but tastes just as good, if not better. It has a pleasant hint of sweetness than the rice from Niigata lacked, but otherwise the texture, aroma, and flavor are extremely similar. The Niigata rice had fewer broken pieces and a slightly smoother, plumper surface, but that's not enough to make it worth twice the price. I've also tried several other popular short grain, "sushi," and koshihikari rices from California, both from Amazon and from my local Asian market, and this is my clear favorite. I buy it regularly and enjoy it in Japanese and Korean dishes. I cook it in a rice cooker on high pressure mode. This gelatinizes more of the starch than boiling or low pressure cooking does, resulting in perfectly sticky, chewy rice.