The first step is to wash the rice. Pour the rice into a sieve over a bowl that the sieve fits into. Fill the bowl with cold water and set the sieve of rice into the bowl. Rub the rice gently to remove the excess starch. Run a few baths this way until the water is mostly clear.
Add the rice to a large non stick pot, then add 1 1/2 cups of cold water. Let the rice sit in the pot with the heat off for at least 30 minutes. This will give the rice the classic sushi rice texture.
After 30 minutes, turn the heat on to high and bring the rice to a boil. Then turn the heat down to low and cover with a lid. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and let the rice steam (don't take off the lid) for another 10 minutes.
While waiting for the rice to steam over the last 10 minutes, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl. You can microwave it for about 30 seconds to dissolve the sugar.
When the rice and vinegar mixture are ready, dump the rice into a very wide bowl so you can spread the rice around a bit. Pour the vinegar mixture over the hot rice.
The next step is to cool the rice while distributing the vinegar evenly. If you want to do this right, you're going to need a small fan and a large spatula, or similar utensil. With one hand you'll need use the spatula to slice and fold the rice to mix in the vinegar, while fanning the rice your mixing to cool it. Be careful to not break the grains of rice or mash it.
When you're done, each grain of rice should very shiny, but not wet and slippery. Cover your rice with a damp towel and set aside til you're ready to use.
