What is a suribachi bowl?

A suribachi is a pottery bowl with a glazed exterior and rim and an unglazed interior. What makes suribachi different from other mortars is that the unglazed interior is scored with diagonally spiraling ridges called kushime or kushinome, meaning comb pattern.

What size is suribachi?

The minimum size for a usable suribachi is around 18cm, or 7 inches. The first place to look for a suribachi is, as with all Japanese cooking supplies, your local Japanese food store. If you can’t find one, I’ve spotted some on eBay here (a cobalt blue one) and here (a classic brown one).

How do you clean suribachi?

To clean, fill the suribachi with warm sudsy water and let it soak for a while (20-30 minutes). Rinse well, and turn upside down to dry. If you must scrub, then do so WITH the grain, not against.

How do you clean a Japanese mortar and pestle?

It’s so easy to clean. It’s a simple bowl with no impossible-to-reach crevices or crannies. (The grooves rinse out easily!) While you can put most of them in dishwasher or just wash with soap and water, most times I just rinse it and let it air-dry before giving it another spin.

What do you need to know about the Suribachi?

Includes suribachi history, how to use and care for your suribachi. Read about historical uses and uses for the mortar and pestle today. See a traditional sansho surikogi and find sources for buying good quality, authentic Japanese Suribachi. Select… Unique Cooking Tools The suribachi is a Japanese mortar used with a pestle called a surikogi.

What kind of material is a suribachi bowl made of?

Crafted from durable earthenware with a rich brown outer glaze, the suribachi bowl features an unglazed, ribbed interior. This design holds ingredients at a slope for efficient, visible grinding. The coordinating wooden pestle, or surikogi, works well with the ceramic materials, so that the ingredients, not the bowl, take the beating.

Where did the Suribachi pestle come from in Japan?

Introduced from Southern China in the 11th century, this beautiful kitchen essential, the Japanese mortar (suribachi) and wooden pestle (surikogi) became an important tool in the Japanese kitchen. Its literal translation, grinding bowl, describes its results perfectly.

What kind of grinding stick is a suribachi?

When I wrote about essential Japanese cooking equipment a while back, I forgot to mention one item that I use quite often, a suribachi. A suribachi is a sturdy ceramic bowl that’s used with a grinding stick called a surikogi like a mortar and pestle.