Japanese Rice Vinegar

Rice vinegar is made from rice and it is sweeter, milder, and less acidic than western vinegars.  It is an essential ingredient in sushi rice and sunomono (a kind of cucumber salad that is a very popular addition to your meal or obento).

Also, rice vinegar is known for its anti-bacterial properties and this is why it is often used in Japanese dishes that include raw fish, seafood and meat.

We use this for many things including sushi, maki rolls, chirashi, pickles etc:

Simple and convenient recipe for maki:

- Cook Japanese sushi rice which is sticky and let it cool down a bit.

- Put nori seaweed on a bamboo roll if you have it or just do it by hand. We use cling film as well because it helps to keep the shape and any bits of sticky rice together without the mess.

- Put some rice vinegar on the rice.

- Inside you can put raw tuna or salmon or crab, cucumbers, avocado, egg roll, etc. There really aren’t any strict rules so just put in what you want. It’s always nice to make it colorful with your own inspiration.

- Simply roll it up and cut it to finger bite sizes

Chirashi another simple dish which is fun and versatile and colorful.

- Make rice. Add some rice vinegar.

 - On top you can put fish, fish eggs, shellfish, chicken breast, shiso herb, avocado, cucumber, and whatever you like.

- Keep it colorful. Every bite should be a mix of tastes.

- It is also a very popular dish on long shinkansen “Bullet train” rides. Nourishing and yummy.

Its flavor is sweet, slightly acidic and rich in umami because it contains Kombu.

This artisanal vinegar is made to flavor the rice used in sushi preparation. It can also be used for salad seasoning or to make pickles. To prepare 350g of cooked sushi rice (or half weight dry rice), mix 2 tablespoon of vinegar in the cooked rice.

Pure rice vinegar (Akitakomachi organic rice), sugar, salt, mirin, kombu.

Store in a cool, dry place, away from light.