Step 1

Soak the rice. Place 2 cups sushi rice in a medium bowl and pour in water to cover. Rinse rice, swishing around with your hand. Drain and repeat two to three times until water is mostly clear (it doesn’t have to be crystal clear, just not cloudy). Cover with fresh cold water and let sit 30 minutes.

Step 2

Meanwhile, prepare the corn. Shuck 1 ear of corn, then place horizontally on a cutting board. Cut off kernels with a chef’s knife, rotating cob as you finish each side. Stand cob upright and using the back of the knife, scrape cob to release corn juices and starch (a.k.a. the milk) from cob onto kernels. If cob is too long to fit in your pot, cut in half.

Step 3

Drain rice. Combine rice and 2¼ cups water in a small Dutch oven or large saucepan. Stir in 1 Tbsp. soy sauce and 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt, then place corn, corn milk, cob, and one 5x3" piece dried kombu on top of rice. Press to submerge in water. Cover pot with a tight-fitting lid and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, 6–8 minutes (listen for it). Reduce heat to low and continue cooking (still covered) 15 minutes more. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, 10 minutes.

Step 4

Remove lid and pull out cob and kombu; discard. Fluff with a rice paddle or wide wooden spoon, mixing corn and rice together. (If you happen to get a light golden crust on the bottom of your rice—enjoy it!) Serve warm, topped with a small pat of unsalted butter and drizzled with toasted sesame oil and more soy sauce if desired.