Senbei (rice crackers) 米煎餅（せんべい）

Senbei, which has a distinctive crunchy texture, is a rice snack and a familiar Japanese soul food. It is common to make rice crackers by washing and soaking rice, then turning it into a powder and kneading it with boiling water. The final step is seasoning it after baking or frying. Japanese supermarkets also carry a wide range of senbei. By arranging it with your preferred salt and spices, this recipe can be used to make a snack or a companion to alcoholic beverages.

ザクザクした食感が印象的な「せんべい」は、日本人のソウルフードとして親しまれる米菓（お米のおやつ）です。洗米、浸水後の生米をパウダー状にして熱湯と練り上げ、焼いたり揚げたりした後に味付けをするのが一般的で、日本のスーパーマーケットには様々な種類のせんべいが並んでいます。お好みの塩やスパイスでアレンジすれば、おやつとしてはもちろん、酒のつまみとしても活躍するレシピです。

How to cook

Ingredients 4-5 servings

200g （7.1oz）: Packaged rice (cooked rice can also be used)
Amount appropriate for the size of the frying pan or pot: Cooking oil
: Salt and your preferred spice powder to taste

Cooking Steps

(About 15 minutes) *Excluding time to dry the rice

Prepare the seasonings

Blend salt with your favorite spices, herbs, or seasoning powders. Pictured are curry salt (left), karasumi (bottarga) salt (center), and salt (right). Blend the salt as you like.

Dry the rice

Place the heated rice pack on a thin cooking tray or plate, spread it out, and flatten it lightly (there’s no need to crush it, just spread it out so the rice grains don’t overlap too much). Leave it at room temperature for about an hour until the moisture evaporates and the surface of the rice becomes dry.

Fry the rice

Pour oil into a frying pan or pot and heat to 170℃. Gently add the rice from (2), taking care not to break it, and fry until golden brown. At first, let it be it as much as possible, and when the rice has hardened and started to brown, turn it over. Flip it several times until the rice becomes crispy.