Shamoji
A Shamoji ( Japanese 杓 文字 , kana し ゃ も じ ) is a flat spoon for rice in Japanese cuisine . It is used to stir and serve rice, but especially to mix rice, rice vinegar , sugar and salt to prepare rice for sushi in a wooden tub ( hangiri ).
The kitchen appliance is usually relatively cheap and is traditionally made of bamboo, wood or lacquer, but today it is often made of plastic.
The Shamoji must be regularly immersed in water during use to prevent the rice from sticking. That is why more expensive plastic Shamoji have an anti-stick coating. Metal, on the other hand, is rarely used, as it tends to damage the grains of rice and can also damage the traditional wooden vessels for making sushi rice (hangiri).
When serving rice with the Shamoji, be careful not to flatten the rice grains.
Wooden Shamoji are a typical souvenir of the island of Miyajima near Hiroshima , where they are decorated and provided with inscriptions and are available in various sizes up to 1 m long.
