The Japanese rice tub or Hangiri(飯切り) is an indispensable piece of traditionalsushi equipment. It absorbs the excess moisture released while mixing sushi rice, so the rice ends up neither too dry nor too wet, but perfectly moist. It also distributes temperature better than other materials such as plastic or metal. A good rice tub is therefore more than an ordinary piece of kitchen equipment: it helps bring out the flavour and the gentle warmth of sushi rice in the Japanese manner.
The wood used for traditional Japanese rice tubs is high-grade sawara cypress (Japanese cypress) grown in the mountains, which naturally makes it expensive. Sawara is known for its strength, durability and beauty. It resists mould, woodworm and boring insects well (though mould can still grow if dirt or moisture is allowed to build up over a long period), and it is
slow to split or lose its shape if properly cared for. The wood itself contains natural oils that help preserve it, and it gives off a naturally refreshing scent. When sawara is used as the vessel for mixing sushi rice, it lends a faint aroma that complements the rice beautifully, without masking or interfering with its own smell. If you would rather have no added scent in the rice, put diluted vinegar in the tub and leave it for 2-3 hours, then rinse clean with plain water and air-dry; this removes the scent of the natural oils.
As a general rule, choose the tub size by the amount of rice you want to mix: the rice should fill about half the tub, leaving room to mix comfortably.
Tub size
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Japanese measure
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Rice weight before cooking
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Rice weight after cooking
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36 cm
|
7 Go (合)
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1 kg
|
2.5 kg
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45 cm
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2 Sho (升)
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3 kg
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7 kg
|
51 cm
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2.7 Sho (升)
|
4 kg
|
9.5 kg
|
60 cm
|
4 Sho (升)
|
6 kg
|
14 kg
|
*1 Go (合) = 150 g / 10 Go (合) = 1 Sho (升)
How to care for it
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Wipe the tub all over with a damp cloth before every use, to stop the wood from drawing in the smell and moisture of the ingredients, which makes mould more likely.
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After every use, clean it with hot or cold water and air-dry it completely. Do not use a dryer or leave it soaking in water for long periods, as this damages the wood or distorts its shape.
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Once the tub is completely dry, wrap it in absorbent paper and store it somewhere with good air circulation. Never store it in a damp place or in direct sunlight.
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The tub may darken in colour as it ages. If you want to scrub it clean, use lemon juice and salt; this cleans it and lightens mould stains.
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If the tub goes unused for a long time, watch out for shrinkage, which can happen if it is stored somewhere too dry. Shrinkage causes the wood to crack or the copper hoop to come off. You can repair it by turning the tub upside down and gently tapping the copper hoop back into its original position with a hammer. Then, if the wood has shrunk, fill the tub with water so that it swells back to its original state, which also keeps the tub from leaking through the cracks.