JPS5813134B2 - Method for producing colored instant rice cakes - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for producing instant rice cakes that easily forms rice cakes by adding water or boiling water and exhibits coloring that is appealing to the palate.

In recent years, with the spread of instant processed foods, so-called instant foods, there has been a demand for instant rice cakes that can be produced instantly by adding water or boiling water.

Traditionally, such instant rice cakes were called ``kaki mochi'' and ``arare.''
Attempts were made to use processed mochi products such as mochi products, but since the main component of these processed mochi products is starch, even if boiling water was added to them, the hot water would not penetrate into the interior in a short period of time. However, it has the drawback that the swelling due to water absorption is insufficient and the texture as a rice cake is unsatisfactory, resulting in a lack of commercial value as an instant rice cake.

It has also been proposed to add powdered sugar as a ``binder'' to the above-mentioned mochi processed product in order to increase its degree of swelling due to water absorption. Additions are required, which is not economically advantageous, and the product only produces rice cakes with a strong sweetness, which limits the scope of the product's use.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for advantageously producing instant rice cakes that are free from the above-mentioned drawbacks and exhibit stable coloring that is appealing to the palate.

The inventor of the present invention focused on the fact that in order to obtain a satisfactory instant rice cake, it is necessary to form the product into a porous structure and achieve sufficient swelling due to its rapid water absorption. preparing a mixture of grain powder and finely divided ice crystal powder;
When the mixture is slowly thawed and molded, and then this molded product is dried, water or boiling water is injected into the mixture to quickly absorb water and achieve sufficient swelling. The present invention was made based on the knowledge that when a plant powder is mixed, coloring derived from the plant powder is stably imparted.

The present invention will be explained in detail below.

The present invention involves mixing pregelatinized grain powder, edible colored plant powder, and micronized ice crystal powder, slowly thawing the resulting mixture and molding it, and then drying the resulting porous molded product. It is characterized by

In the present invention, a wide variety of grains can be used as the raw material substrate for instant rice cakes, as long as they are starch-rich grains suitable for producing rice cakes, but glutinous rice, waxy corn, etc. are actually preferred.

These grains are used in the form of a powder whose starch has been gelatinized.

The gelatinization process at this time may be performed according to a conventional method.

Moreover, it is also possible to use a mixture of two or more kinds of grain powders subjected to gelatinization treatment in this way.

In the present invention, first, pregelatinized grain powder, edible colored plant powder, and finely divided ice crystal powder are mixed uniformly.

Examples of the edible colored plant powder used here include turmeric, perilla powder (sweet fruit peel powder), and mugwort powder.

In addition, ice crystal powder is obtained by refining quartz crystals using an ice shaver or the like.

Note that this miniaturization work is carried out in a sub-zero atmosphere, for example -10
It is preferable to carry out the process indoors at a low temperature of around 30°F.The ice crystal powder that has been refined at such a low temperature will not melt when mixed with the above-mentioned pregelatinized grain powder and edible colored plant powder. It helps to avoid the water absorption phenomenon of the powder in the mixing stage.

In other words, if the grain powder absorbs water during the mixing step, the desired porous structure cannot be obtained.

Although the mixing ratio of the grain powder, the vegetable powder, and the ice crystal powder is not particularly critical, it is preferable to use the vegetable powder to the extent that it colors the grain powder appropriately, and the ice crystal powder is approximately It is preferable to use it at a weight ratio of about 10 to 20.

Next, the homogeneous mixture prepared as described above is slowly thawed at a temperature of about room temperature to about 40° C., and as the thawing progresses, the mixture is placed in a desired molding device and molded.

It is important to thaw the above mixture slowly; in this case, thawing at a high temperature will cause the thawing to occur quickly, and the thawing water will evaporate before it is absorbed into the gelatinized grain powder. As a result, the desired molding cannot be obtained.

That is, since moisture absorption of the grain powder becomes extremely insufficient, the grain powder remains in a powder state or becomes finely divided.

However, if the ice is melted under the slow conditions as described above in accordance with the present invention, the melting water will penetrate into the grain powder uniformly and the desired molding will be carried out. A large number of fine pores are uniformly formed at the locations where pores were present, so when the molded product obtained as described above is dried, it becomes a product with a porous structure.

Furthermore, in the above molding process, it is necessary in the present invention to form a large number of micropores in the molded product by melting the ice crystal powder, so care must be taken to avoid molding under pressure.

The molded product is dried by a known method such as hot air drying, ventilation drying, vacuum drying, etc. until the moisture content becomes 8 to 15%.

However, since the edible colored plant powder used in the present invention is relatively easily discolored by heat, it is preferable to apply ventilation drying or vacuum drying.

The molded product dried in this way is removed from the molding machine,
Serve as is or cut into appropriate sizes and serve as instant mochi.

The instant rice cake obtained as described above is a dried product with a porous structure, so if water or boiling water is added to it, or if it is poured into water or boiling water, it will quickly and uniformly absorb moisture. It swells sufficiently and takes on the shape of a sticky, soft rice cake.

Furthermore, since this instant rice cake is mixed with the above-mentioned edible colored plant powder, it exhibits a color corresponding to the colored plant.

Unlike artificial coloring that is based on synthetic substances, this coloring is derived from natural substances, so there is no concern that it will have an adverse effect on health.Furthermore, when using colored powder such as mugwort, the natural color that it presents can be changed. In addition, its unique flavor makes the texture even more appealing.

Therefore, the instant rice cake according to the present invention may be eaten by pouring water or boiling water into it, or may be put into a container together with powdered seasonings and served by pouring boiling water into it. It can be eaten as rice cakes such as shiruko and zenzai, and can be used in a wide range of ways.

In addition, the instant rice cake according to the present invention has been dried to a moisture content of about 8 to 15%, so it can be stored for a long time by filling it in a container, adding a desiccant and sealing it. The coloring will not change color either.

Furthermore, in the present invention, when mixing the pregelatinized grain powder and the ice crystal powder, powdered sugars, such as crystalline glucose,
It is also possible to add a small amount of lactose, powdered starch syrup, etc. as a binder, so that the swelling effect due to water absorption can be further enhanced.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide so-called colored instant rice cakes, which can quickly absorb moisture by adding water or boiling water and swell to form colored rice cakes, with a relatively simple operation. Moreover, since this instant rice cake has a long shelf life, it is believed that the present invention will greatly contribute to the production of instant rice cake.

The present invention will be specifically explained below by way of examples.

Example Prepare 80 kg of pregelatinized glutinous rice powder, quickly add an appropriate amount of mugwort powder and 12 kg of ice crystal powder, which has been made fine using an ice shaver in a room at around -10°C, to homogenize it. Mix with

At this time, 8 kg of powdered lactose may be added.

This mixture is thawed at room temperature (18° C.) and placed in a molding vessel of a certain size.

As the ice melts, the melted water is absorbed into the mochi rice powder (or a mixture of this and powdered lactose), and at this time, it is observed that many fine pores are formed where the ice crystal powder was present. Ru.

When the ice is completely thawed, hot air drying is performed while the mold is still stored in the molding device, and drying is continued until the moisture content of the contents reaches 8 to 15 parts.

After drying, the contents are taken out from the molding device, cut into squares of several centimeters in size, filled into a container, and sealed with a desiccant added if necessary to produce a product.

When the product thus obtained is placed in boiling water, it rapidly absorbs water and swells, forming a sticky, soft, mugwort-colored cake.

The same instant rice cake can also be obtained by using gelatinized waxy corn or a mixture of both instead of the glutinous rice powder in the same manner as above.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Mix pregelatinized grain powder, edible colored plant powder, and finely divided ice crystal powder, slowly thaw the resulting mixture and mold it, and then dry the resulting porous molded product. A unique method for producing colored instant rice cakes.