Why Rice Crackers Are the Ideal Gluten-Free Snack for All Ages

Japanese rice crackers are made from rice and have been loved by people for a long time. Senbei, Arare, and Okaki are popular snacks that are served as daily snacks, teatime snacks, and gifts. This article introduces the types of rice crackers, nutrition, how they are made, a factory tour recommendation, and Tamasen, a delicious and unique way to eat senbei.

The Various Types of Japanese Rice Crackers

Rice crackers come in three main types: Senbei, Arare, and Okaki.

1. Senbei: Flattened dough kneaded from Uruchi Rice (ordinary rice), stretched thin, and baked. Uruchi Rice is less sticky and less likely to swell than glutinous rice, so the texture is a bit harder.

2. Arare: A small-sized product made from glutinous rice. It is named after the sound it creates when the rice cake is roasted and the way it expands while bouncing is like hail.

 3. Okaki: It is made from glutinous rice and is large. Arare and Okaki are made from sticky glutinous rice, which puffs up when baked, creating a softer texture than Senbei.

The Attractiveness of Rice Crackers

Rice crackers have three attractive features that are good for your body.

1. Gluten-free and easy on the stomachs of everyone, from babies to the elderly! Rice, the main ingredient of rice crackers, is a grain that does not contain gluten, the cause of wheat allergy. As rice crackers are made by reheating cooked rice, they do not put a burden on the digestive system.

2. Maintaining and improving your health by biting well! In fact, it is good for your health to bite into a hard rice cracker. It stimulates saliva production, aids digestion and absorption, and helps maintain good oral hygiene. It also exercises the jaw muscles, which activates the physiological functions of the head and helps prevent aging. It contains little or no sugar, but the more you chew it, the sweeter it tastes, and it can control your appetite as well.

3. Wealth of Nutrients! Rice crackers contain many important nutrients necessary for good health. They contain good quality protein, carbohydrates and fats for energy, minerals such as calcium and sodium, and vitamins B1 and B2. Compared to cakes, chips, chocolates, and other western-style confections, they contain fewer calories and fat and are easier to eat.

How to Make Rice Crackers

https://www.arare-osenbei.jp/make/

The difference between making Senbei and Arare is the difference in the properties of rice. Arare is made by cooling glutinous rice after pounding, but regular rice crackers (senbei) are made immediately after the rice is pounded.

Senbei-making process

(1) Milling: Wash, soak, and drain the polished rice, then carefully grind it to a uniform coarseness using a millstone.

(2) Kneading: Put the flour into a large tub, pour boiling water into it, and knead it by hand. When the dough comes together, it is further kneaded with a kneader.

(3) Steaming: The kneading ball is grasped, torn into sticks, and placed in a steaming basket to steam.

(4) Pounding: The steamed dough is pounded with a pestle. Nowadays, pounding is done using a machine.

(5) Stretching: Rollers are used to stretch the dough into thin strips, which are then cut into rice
 cracker shapes with special blades and laid out on a mesh net.

(6) Drying: The soft dough lined up on the mesh is dried in a drying cabinet for 4 to 5 hours with hot air.

(7) Baking: The senbei is turned over frequently to hold down any bumps or warps with the oshigawara and baked until golden brown.

(8) Soy sauce dipping: While still hot, the baked rice crackers are coated with soy sauce.

(9) Done: After drying, the senbei are done and ready to eat!

Factory Tour Spot

There is a recommended place where you can see the manufacturing process at a factory and enjoy the taste of freshly made rice crackers! It is a shrimp rice cracker company called “Ebisenbei No Sato – Mihama Honten” located in Mihama-cho, Chita-gun, Aichi Prefecture, which has been in business for 76 years. The Chita Peninsula, facing Ise Bay and Mikawa Bay, is an area where a lot of shrimp are caught. What you can do at “Ebisenbei No Sato - Mihama Honten”

1. Factory Tour: You can see the process of inspecting and bagging the shrimp crackers.

2. Purchasing: Freshly made shrimp crackers can be purchased, and there is free tasting. About 40 kinds of rice crackers are always available.

3. Baking Experience: You can bake your own shrimp crackers, which are approximately 30 cm in diameter, and paint them with sauce.

★ The fee is 440 yen (tax included), available from 9:00 to 10:30 in the morning and from 13:00 to 14:30 in the afternoon, only on Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays.

4. Museum: You can learn about the history of shrimp crackers. A baking machine and a shrimp fishing boat from the time of the company's founding are on display. 

A Fun and Unique Way to Eat Rice Crackers

There is also a special way to eat Senbei.

Tamasen: One of the local foods in the Nagoya area, Tamasen is a sunny-side up fried egg seasoned okonomiyaki-style and sandwiched between two pieces of shrimp crackers. It is a popular food at Japanese festivals!

The recipe is simple: spread okonomiyaki sauce on the shrimp cracker, top with sliced cheese and a fried egg, then top with dried shrimp, red ginger, green seaweed, and mayonnaise to taste, and finally sandwich it all together with the shrimp cracker!

Conclusion

Senbei, Arare, and Okaki are healthy, gluten-free, and fun snacks with many regional flavors. Suitable for all ages, these rice crackers offer a delightful crunch without the worry of gluten. Once you start eating them, you will surely love them! Now, chew well and enjoy the crisp!!