Asian Trail Mix Staple: glazed umami rice puff with strong umami. Name?

August 4, 2017 11:24 AM

Looking for the name of an Asian trail-mix staple: It's often a pillow-shaped rice flour puff with a shellac-style glaze to it that's strong in umami/soy/vaguely-fishy flavor. Image here.

I love it and I want to buy more of it, without the rest of the mix. Thanks for your time and your help.

posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj to Food & Drink (9 answers total)

Response by poster: Clarifying imprecise language: I'm talking about the product marketed to Americans as "Asian trail mix". I'm sure that there's a high chance that it's not culturally Asian and/or that they'd never think about eating it on a trail.

(Come to think of it: the entire notion of "trail mix" now seems entirely bizarre. That we're supposed to eat a certain thing on a trail seems ridiculous when you think about it. . . )
posted by jjjjjjjijjjjjjj at 11:40 AM on August 4, 2017

rice crackers?
posted by exogenous at 11:51 AM on August 4, 2017

Best answer: That's arare! (Pronounced "ah rah ray")
posted by milk white peacock at 11:57 AM on August 4, 2017 [7 favorites]

When there's rice in your lunch
That when bitten goes "crunch"
That's arare!
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:12 PM on August 4, 2017 [22 favorites]

When there's rice in your lunch
That when bitten goes "crunch"
That's arare!

Or undercooked rice!
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:15 PM on August 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

Or the toasted rice from the bottom of the rice cooker.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 1:12 PM on August 4, 2017

I love that stuff, I use it in my own trail mix, and I'm sure I've gotten it at either Whole Paycheck or at Trader Joe's.
posted by Dashy at 1:42 PM on August 4, 2017

Best answer: You can generally find a variety of rice crackers like these in any store that might carry Asian groceries, particularly Japanese ones. They come in a wide variety of shapes and flavorings, and in Japanese, they're called arare, senbei, okaki, or kakimochi depending on how big they are, what kind of rice is used, etc., but they're all very similar as a snack stuff: crunchy, savory, addictive.

If you have a Trader Joe's near you, they've started carrying kakimochi under the name of Crispy Crunchy Mochi Rice Nuggets. They aren't exactly the same as your picture, but they might scratch the same itch.
posted by Diagonalize at 2:22 PM on August 4, 2017 [3 favorites]

Arare. Awesome beer snack.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 8:41 PM on August 4, 2017