Grinding
This overview of Japanese culinary methods continues with grinding tools and techniques.
Japanese cuisine calls for a suribachi mortar and surikogi pestle when grinding ingredients. Japanese suribachi are ceramic and are distinguished by a radial pattern of fine, intricate ridges called kushi-me which resemble lines drawn by a kushi comb. Surikogi were traditionally made of wood from the sansho Japanese pepper tree, said to have detoxifying effects; but these days, hinoki cypress and walnut are also used. The texture of food ground in a suribachi is less uniform, and retains a more natural character and quality, than that prepared in a food processor or mill. Suribachi are used to grind a variety of foods, such as sesame seeds to elicit their aroma and flavor; sticky yams for a smooth texture; tofu to make paste for mixing with other ingredients; and fish to mash and shape into patties or balls.
Sesame
Sesame is the most common food ground in suribachi using a surikogi. When ground, the crushed seeds release their full aroma. The classic dish goma-ae is prepared by mixing soy sauce and sugar with fresh-ground sesame right in the suribachi. This sesame sauce is then used to dress blanched green vegetables.
Sticky Yams
Sticky yams like yamaimo and nagaimo are first grated by rubbing them directly against the grooves of the suribachi in a circular motion, and then ground with a surikogi pestle to produce a heavy, velvety texture. Ground yam is called tororo, and is seasoned with dashi and soy sauce to pour directly over rice and noodle dishes; tororo is also used in making yam soup and okonomiyaki.
