Cooking the rice

Cup of Yum
1. Rinse the rice in a bowl or rice cooker pot over running tap water. Add about 1-2 cups of water, stir then drain. Do this about two or three times until the water is clear.
2. Cook the rice in a rice cooker: Add the rice and water to the rice cooker pot, make sure the rice is flat and level with the bottom of the pot since it can shift during the rinse or transport. Push the start button. After the rice cooker beeps in about 15-20 minutes indicating it's ready, take the pot out and let it cool on the counter for about 10 minutes.
3. Or cook the rice on a stovetop: Add rice and water to a medium pot over high heat without a lid and bring to a boil. Once it hits a boil, lower heat to low and cover with a lid. Don't open the lid, don't mix the rice or bother it while it does its thing. After 15 minutes, open the lid and try a grain of rice for doneness. It should be slightly firm, but fluffy, and not hard or chalky inside. If it's too raw, close the lid and add more cook time as needed. Once done let the rice cool for 10 minutes off the heat.

Vinegar mixture

1. While your rice is cooling, in a separate microwave safe bowl, combine the 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp kosher salt, and 2 tbsp sugar. Stir to combine and microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir to see if its fully dissolved and microwave another 15 seconds or so until the sugar is dissolved.

Combining rice + vinegar mixture

1. Move the warm rice to a large mixing bowl. A wooden one will help by absorbing the water a bit as it cools, but metal or glass works fine too.
2. Stir the vinegar mixture before each addition into the bowl of rice, adding 1/2 tbsp at a time as you gently fold the mixture into the rice. The goal is to cover each grain evenly with this mixture, without smashing the grains of rice. Once you've added all the mixture, let the rice cool to almost room temperature before using.