Shamoji Rice Paddle

Small shamoji, about 9½ inches long, are used for spooning rice from a pot or rice cooker. Sushi shamoji are much larger, about 12 inches long for home use and nearly 17 inches long for restaurant use. These bamboo or wooden paddles, shaped like flattened spoons, are used for turning steaming, tender rice and moving it from one side of a tub to the other while mixing in the sushi dressing. If a small shamoji came with your rice cooker, you can use it for making a small quantity of sushi rice—say, 2 cups. For a larger quantity of rice, the best substitute for a sushi shamoji is a broad, shallow-bowled wooden spoon. After you use a shamoji, soak it in water until the rice residue has softened and then scrub it with a hard tawashi or vegetable brush. Use only very mild detergent, if any, and rinse it away completely. Do not put the shamoji in the dishwasher.