Japanese cuisine Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan (Japanese: ) is based on rice with miso soup and other ...

, a , also known a sushi oke, is a round, flat-bottomed wooden tub or barrel used in the final steps of preparing rice for

sushi is a Japanese cuisine, Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is " ...

. Traditional ''hangiri'' are made from

cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs of northern temperate regions that belong to the family Cupressaceae. The word ''cypress'' is derived from Old French ''cipres'', which was imported from Latin ''cypressus'', the ...

wood bound with two

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

bands. They range in diameter from about for use at home, to for use in a restaurant. A ''

shamoji A or rice paddle is a large flat spoon used in East Asian cuisine. It is used to stir and to serve rice, and to mix vinegar into the rice for sushi. ''Shamoji'' are traditionally made from bamboo, wood, or lacquer, and nowadays often from ...

'' wooden paddle is used with a ''hangiri'' to dress and to cool the rice. After cooking, the rice is transferred to the ''hangiri'' where it is tossed with a dressing made of

rice vinegar Rice vinegar is a vinegar made from fermented rice in East Asia (China, Japan and Korea), as well as in Vietnam in Southeast Asia. It is used as a seasoning, dressing, and dipping in many dishes, including sushi, jiaozi, and banchans. Some of its ...

, sugar, and salt. When the mixing is complete, it is covered with a cloth and allowed to cool. A typical ''hangiri'' may cost two or three times as much as an expensive steel cooking pot.

References

{{Sushi Japanese food preparation utensils Sushi