The Rice for Sushi At Kurosugi

Kurosugi uses the best quality Hinohikari rice from Kagawa Prefecture.

In addition, rather than using sugar for its seasoning, Kurosugi uses akazu to season its sushi. Akazu is a mild red-colored vinegar which is made from sake lees, and is typically aged for 3-4 years. When stored, the sake lees turn into the reddish color from which it derives its name, “aka ” meaning red and “ zu ” meaning vinegar.

Akazu is not as sharp and sour compared to ordinary rice vinegar and has a perfectly balanced flavor which compliments the neta, the topping on the sushi. It is characterized by its low acidity, slightly sweet flavor, and reddish color. It brings a deep, flavorful, refreshing taste full of umami to the sushi. And because the akazu is naturally sweet, sugar is not needed. Just a little bit of sea-salt is all that is added.

Making and managing the sushi rice is quite time consuming and requires a lot of effort, such as keeping a hot water bottle container in the wooden container used for the cooked rice. This is done to keep the rice at body temperature and produce the most delicious rice for the sushi.