I am an Oni Oroshi Daikon Grater. My teeth look fierce, but all I really do is coax daikon and carrots into fluffy surrender.
Almost everyone who walks into the store asks what this is for. It has such an interesting, traditional-looking appearance that it immediately draws curiosity, yet it’s incredibly specific in its purpose.
“Oni oroshi” means ogre daikon grater! "Ogre" due to the monster like jagged teeth. Traditionally it’s used to create the coarse fluffy mound of grated daikon often served alongside dishes in Japanese cuisine. The wide teeth break the vegetable down into pulp that’s quite different from a typical fine metal grater that would produce more of a paste type consistency.
It also works beautifully with other large root vegetables like carrots or potatoes when you want that same pulpy grate. I tend to reach for the small size because it feels more versatile and handles a range of vegetables easily like carrots with not a whole lot of surface, but the large feels perfectly scaled for what it was truly designed for - a full daikon.
Bamboo Oni Oroshi Daikon Grater was curated by Angélique Chmielewski
Maker: Kohchosai Kosuga
Dimensions:
Small: 1.0" (w) x 2.8" (l) x 7.0" (h) or 25mm (w) x 71mm (l) x 178mm (h)
Large: 2.5" (w) x 3.5 (l) x 11.5" (h) or 64mm (w) x 89mm (l) x 292mm (h)
Weight:
Small: 2.0 oz or 57 g
Large: Approximately 5 oz 142 g
Materials: Bamboo