Low carb musubi

Thanks, @bulavinaka! Can I find it at my local Japanese store?

I don’t know. The product from our friend in Japan is made for Japanese consumption. So I think all the print is in Japanese. I will have to confirm later.

When I googled konyaku rice, Shirakiku and other producers appear to have a similar product. I am guessing the best bet is to hit up Nijiya or Mitsuwa - maybe even Marukai and ask. Their flagship stores tend to be better stocked so that’s where I’d go.

First I’ve heard of konnyaku rice. Interesting.

The traditional Japanese product is shirataki noodles, which are made from the same konjac yam as konnyaku. Those you should be able to find at any good Japanese store.

Appears that the rice-like version was created for American low-carb dieters. Seems to be sold mostly online, though you might find them in stores catering to low-carb diets.

If you’re not restricting carbs to Atkins-style levels, as I’ve noted above there are real grains with lower GI and GL than regular white rice. All low-starch alternatives may be problematic in that they’re not sticky.

This product was first introduced to me a few years ago by another friend who is originally from Japan and visits there often. I’m guessing it’s been around for a while and is somewhat common there.

It comes in preseasoned packets - about one cup - and is simply poured in with the washed rice and add additional water for additional cup of “rice.”

Japanese people can be as persnickety about their rice as the French can be about their bread, being able to detect miniscule differences in taste, texture, appearance and aroma. So this product may be viewed with some disdain and only a necessary means to an end.

I really didn’t notice any appreciable change or decline in the finished product. If one looks closely at the rice, one can see the konyaku grains because of their slightly different appearance - slightly elongated and pointed. Singling out and tasting the grains results in what one would expect from a konyaku-based product - no taste for the most part. The residual starch from the real rice is what helps the konyaku rice blend in.

Again - the chosen ratio will offer different results. I’ve gone with a 50/50 ratio and while the change is noticeable, if I were on a restricted diet, I’d find this to be perfectly edible.

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Which brand are you talking about?

The ones I find for sale online in the US are just differently shaped shirataki and like regular shirataki have to be drained and rinsed before use. Recipes frequently call for drying them out in a pan to make the texture more rice-like.

Sorry - describing the one I received from Japan. I’m on the road today so I will post pix later.

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The product name is, “Mannanhikari.” All of the info is in Japanese so I’m kinda clueless here (I should have paid attention in J-school).

The grains are tiny - about 1/3 the size of a typical grain of rice.

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Good thing I know a native Japanese person. I can borrow their skills to translate and find this product for me. I subbed overcooked brown rice this weekend. It was still tasty. Looking forward to trying this product!

That’s not zero-carb. The dry ones have starch added for a more rice-like texture. Translation from Amazon: “Nutritional Information: protein 0.2g, fat 0.3g, carbohydrates 44.4g, dietary fiber 20.6g …” Might as well use Uncle Ben’s.

Thanks. I must have misunderstood what my friend explained.

I was going to suggest rice cauliflower. I don’t think binding or moisture would be a problem. It DOES get cooked. I’d give it a whirl anyway.

try adding a little sugar/salt/rice vinegar to the cooked cauliflower like you would to sushi rice.

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