Hangiri
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Hangiri.png/220px-Hangiri.png)
In Japanese cuisine, a hangiri (半切 or 飯切), also known as handai (飯台, a rice table or a rice bowl) is a round, flat-bottom wooden tub or barrel used in the final steps of preparing rice for sushi. Traditional hangiri are made from cypress wood bound with two copper bands. They range in diameter from about 30 cm (1 ft) for use at home, to 1 meter (3 feet) for use in a restaurant.
The hangiri and a shamoji wooden paddle are used 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, sugar, and salt. When the mixing is complete, it is covered with a cloth (fukin) and allowed to cool.
A typical "hangiri" may cost two or three times as much as an expensive steel cooking pot.
The Wikibook Cookbook has a detailed recipe for preparing sushi rice. [1]