Ume Nori-Maki Arare Seaweed-Roll Rice Crackers
Senbei, Okaki, and Arare are the 3 types of traditional Japanese rice crackers most commonly eaten in Japan as an afternoon tea snack. These are usually made by baking rice dough without using oil, brushed with soy sauce.
While Senbei is generally made from non-glutinous rice called “Uruchi-Mai (うるち米)”, the staple of the Japanese diet, the base ingredient in Okaki and Arare is glutinous rice “Mochi-Gome (餅米)”.
According to the article “おかき” on Japanese Wikipedia, there is no clear definition between Okaki and Arare. These crackers are roughly distinguished by size, and in general, Okaki is larger, typically shaped like the above.
Norimaki Arare (のり巻きあられ)
On the other hand, Arare mostly comes in small ball shapes or short sticks, and the latter stick varieties are typically wrapped with a dry sheet of nori (seaweed laver), as shown in the picture above.
These seaweed roll Arare rice crackers are generally called “Nori-Maki Arare (のり巻あられ)”, which is one of the most common Arare varieties.
Flavors
As with other Japanese rice crackers, Norimaki Arare’s rice cracker part usually has a somewhat salty, savory Shoyu (soy sauce) flavor.
In addition to soy sauce, Nori-Maki Arare crackers are typically flavored with sour Umeboshi plums or pungent Wasabi grated Japanese horseradish. By the way, the product I bought features slight acidity from the Ume plum.
Meanwhile, the nori seaweed part is pleasantly aromatic, taking the savory Arare rice cracker to another taste level, just like Sushi rolls.
Ingredients and Nutrition Facts
According to the ingredient list, the Ume Nori-Maki Arare from Kameda Seika mainly consists of Mochi Gome, Shoyu, nori, vegetable oil, sugar, Ume plum seasoning, mirin, seafood extract seasoning, dextrin, Ume vinegar powder, dried Ume plum flesh, and salt.
Based on the nutrition facts label, the Umeboshi-flavored seaweed roll Arare cracker has 126 kcal per bag (32 grams) and contains 0.99 g salt equivalents in total.
I love Nori-Maki Arare and just finished a bag today! We don’t have Japanese specific groceries here in Orlando, Florida, U.S.A., but we do have groceries that are Vietnamese, Chinese or Korean owned and they all carry Nori-Maki Arare in their Japanese product sections. I’ve not seen the ume flavored, just the plain and wasabi, which is my favorite. They keep a long time once opened, so they are great to have on hand when i want a little Japanese taste! Thanks for your blog! It’s kept me company during the pandemic and you report on everyday things no one else covers. I especially like it when you explain the differences in Japanese products that are very similar. Very informative!
Thanks for the comment and you’re welcome!
I love Nori-Maki Arare too, which is what Japanese grow up with, one of the most commonly eaten tea snacks here in Japan! Thank you, from now on I want to continue to introduce unique Japanese things I try in everyday life, and if necessary, I will improve the content of articles and add additional information!