Japan has a special relationship with rice, and important national dish sushi has rice at its heart. Sushi rice is shorter grained than much of the rice eaten in quantity in Asia, and unlike in an Indian pulao or most Middle Eastern rice dishes, the grains are prepared to ensure they stick together. A glaze of rice wine vinegar, sugar and salt completes the preparation of traditional sushi rice – a recipe for which is in our collection of core rice recipes.