Arare (hail stones) are made with glutinous rice (mochi kome). They can be either fried or baked, and have a crunchier texture than senbei. I like arare since they’re smaller than senbei and seem to come in more flavors as well. This particular snack, Tsuna Age Arare, is tare, “dressing” flavor.

Bon Chi Corporation is the manufacturer of today’s snack and they make all manner of senbei and arare.

Packaging

Great packaging for this snack. The green is appealing as is the bold kanji and equally bold romanji. The contrast in colors and reflective textures made this bag eye-catching in a sea of other Asian snacks. The actual arare are proudly displayed on the front and the back gives a brief description of the contents: “Japanese crispy snack. Dressing and salty taste. Good quality.” I like it when I’m informed how a particular food will taste. Score: A+

Appearance

Tsuna means “rope” and Age means “fried” in Japanese, it’s a fitting description for a snack that looks like twisted bits of deep-fried rope. The matte texture is a departure from the shiny sugar and shoyu glaze many rice crakers sport. Score: B

Texture

Tsuna age arare has a truly gratifying crunch. However, the crunch quickly melts way and becomes a greasy paste. These arare are definitely different than other rice crackers; they’re really greasy and oily. The oil sticks to the back of the throat and is too cloying. It’s actually disgusting how oily these crackers are.

One of the main reasons I like Japanese snacks is because the majority of them have a light taste and texture, even in the instances they’re fried. The grease in these rice crackers is a major turn off. I keep having to clear my throat or drink hot tea to get the oil out. My hands are also greasy. Gross. This is an unexpected find in a Japanese snack and very, very unwelcome. Score: F

Flavor

Dressing? Tare? These are supposed to taste like dressing? I wasn’t expecting a Catalina salad dressing flavor, but I was expecting some sort of vinegary tang. I’ve made many tare (dressings) and they utilize vinegars, miso, sesame, ginger and shoyu. Tuna age doesn’t even come close to any of those. One of the ingredients is vinegar powder, but it’s the seventh one listed. Vegetable oil is number two on the ingredient list. Oil wins over vinegar in this round.

These lil’ nasties remind me strongly of the American snack, Bugles. They taste like greasy, deep fried corn snacks, but there’s no corn in tsuna age. So there’s vinegar, but I can’t taste it, and there’s no corn and yet I taste corn…Score: F

Verdict

I’m very unhappy with this Japanese snack. It’s disgusting and nasty. This Japanese cracker is just like many American junk foods, right down to the grease and lack of sophisticated flavor. Even prior arare, which have let me down in the flavor department are way, way better than this. I’d rather eat shoyu and sugar then these icky deep fried concoctions.

Senbei are a variety of rice cracker native to Japan and well loved by the populace. They’re the snack of choice when light munching is in order and are offered to guests as a matter of course. However, senbei aren’t the only rice cracker in Japan. There’re two other varieties of rice cracker which also fall under that category: okaki and arare.

Okaki and arare are basically processed the same way as senbei and use the same ingredients with one exception; Okaki and arare use glutinous rice (mochi goma) and senbei use non-glutinous rice. Also, traditionally, senbei are shaped in large flat circles while arare are smaller and and more spherical (I believe cracker nuts would fall into this category). The word “arare” literally means “hailstone”.

Not all rice crackers are savory. Aside from the frequently used nori (seaweed) and soy sauce, sweet varieties are also produced. I’ve had a few mixes that are exceptional in this regard.

Senbei have been around as a snack in Japan for quite some time. They’ve traditionally been grilled (and still are) and served hot and fresh on the spot by street vendors. You just can’t get that kind of snack service here in the US.

Kuromame okaki (black soybean rice cracker) is one of my latest finds and I finally have
enough time to review ‘em.

The bag is in 100% Japanese and is average in terms of packaging. The only way I knew what these crackers were was from the romanji on the back and the fact that Chikashi recommended them.

After eating a hefty handful, I’m not too impressed with this particular senbei. In fact, I hate to say this but, once you’ve had the basic varieties of rice crackers, you’ve had ‘em all. Kuromame okaki taste just like other okaki and senbei, except for the sliced black soybeans liberally dispersed in the cracker.

The soybeans offer an interesting, nutty texture but nothing else. I can’t even really taste them and that’s disappointing since I love soybeans

I haven’t eaten senbei, okaki, and arare simultaneously to compare them, but it seems to me that this okaki has a crisper, lighter taste. Aside from that, these crackers are almost bland, and that’s OK. However, I’m on a quest for an exceptional sembei that suits my palette and these guys aren’t doing it.

For those utterly unfamiliar with Japanese crackers and have no idea what I’m talking about:

Rice crackers overall, have a light crisp texture with a very slight, sweet taste from the rice flour. They’re usually coated in a sweet-ish soy sauce and flavored with seaweed. There are other varieties, the most notable, to me, being a Tokyo style senbei mix which is a very colorful, sweeter senbei mix that’s deep fried (soooo good!)

Kuromame okaki is good but not at all exceptional. It’s average as a senbei mix, crispier and more textured than most, and while I’d eat ‘em again as a snack if offered, I wouldn’t buy kuromame okaki again. I’m actually disappointed with most senbei because so many seem to fall short in the creative category. However, for that very reason, I’m going to go through as many interesting senbei mixes as humanly possible in order to find the best out there to share with you. (poor me)

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Azuki (sweet red) beans are a staple in Japanese wagashi. Their high sugar content makes them the perfect accompaniment for rice cakes, zenzai, daifuku, and a slew of other Japanese delicacies. White beans (lima?) are also used in Japanese baking. Specifically they’re used as a filling when making pan (bread buns) or other choice desserts.

The Japanese have been perfecting the art of wagashi for centuries and beans have played an important part in the art’s development. Azuki and white beans are simmered in sugar and then used whole or mashed. These beans have a thick, creamy texture when they’re mashed. This actually works really well as a dessert filling, believe it or not, albeit, an extraordinarily heavy one.

I found a most uniquely Japanese snack that cuts out the bread/ rice exterior and goes right to the good stuff: Amanattou Okonomi. Amanattou are beans (azuki, broad, green, etc.) that are boiled in a thick sugary syrup until they’re crystallized and tender. We’ve learned previously that okonomi means, “as you like”. In this instance, okonomi is “assortment”. Amanattou okonomi is “sugary bean assortment”.

Hamana is one of the companies who manufacture Amanattou okonomi. The packaging is simplistic and showcases the amanattou. The bag is resealable, without any English in sight, aside from the required label slapped on the back.

Included in this okonomi are huge, beige lima beans, smaller, darker broad and azuki beans, and, what looks like, green peas. All are completely coated in glistening sugar. These beans would look great in a plain black bowl for a fancy dinner party.

First bean to get sampled is a giant lima bean. The lima beans have a very dense, soft texture and are pretty heavy. I can hardly taste the bean. There is a unique light flavor, but it really doesn’t scream “BEAN!!!!” I mostly taste the sugar and I really dig the texture. These lima beans are good. I remember having this exact same bean stuffed in pan from East East and Mitsuwa.

The broad beans have a slightly rubbery texture, are heavy, and have a definite beany after taste. I like my broad beans fried, I decide after a third sampling. These are still unique, however and worth a try.

The peas taste like peas, but with sugar baked into and onto them. Don’t know how I feel about that. A third sampling makes me wonder why anybody would think peas are good as a dessert. The thick skin of the pea is a turnoff and detracts from the inside’s soft texture.

The azuki beans are sweet and dense and always a treat to eat. Their texture is soft but heavy. Azuki are such a complimentary bean; they enhance rather than overpower.

I’d have to say that my two fave beans from this assortment are the lima and azuki. The broad beans are good but the peas are too “off” for my taste. I think one would need to be in a “mood” to really enjoy the latter two.

The beans are meant as an assortment and they go down well when eaten in combination, even with the slight hitches with the broad beans and peas.

The former two are very snack worthy for the occasion that you really want a sweet treat that will fill you up with minimum consumption. And these will fill you up. I’ve eaten a handful and I feel full. One fourth of this big bag is only 154 calories but will scratch your sugar fiend itch. I should know; I’m one of the worst sugar fiends on record.

This is a traditional Japanese snack that could only be compared to sucking the frosting from one of those decorating tubes your mom used to use (you know what I’m talking about).

For all those out there thinking “Ewww, groady, beans for dessert!”, try a traditional daifuku or a amanattou pan before coming to the conclusion that beans are a foul choice for a sweet. Also, remember how Americans use vegetables in desserts: zucchini bread, sweet potato pie, and carrot cake, to name a few.

The Japanese know what they’re doing when they make dessert, give Amanattou a try; you’ll be getting your fix and a serving of veggies with every serving! Gotta love Japanese cuisine!

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Ranking Amanattou okonomi an overall

I couldn’t find jack on Lion, the company that makes this candy. The only Japanese company of the same name is a chemical company that makes household detergents and the like. I also found that Lion makes a ramune version of the bubble ball candy. Worth looking into.

Nothing really shouts at me from the packaging. It’s well done and in a handy, snack size resealable pouch, but nothing grabs me, smacks me around and demands my attention. It’s not always necessary to do that but good packaging will get you far in a saturated market. IMO, the Japanese candy market is very saturated.

These candies aren’t individually wrapped, which is surprising. Not being individually wrapped, they come out in one sticky clump. Prying them apart, I can see that they’re dime sized cola colored balls. Well, that solves one mystery in the name.

Mmm, very cola tasting! A hard candy to start out with but crunching down on it reveals that the center is explosive and bubbly (mystery two solved in the name). Just like real cola, the center fizzes and bubbles in the mouth (just like Pop Rocks). Unlike real cola, the after taste is light and refreshing. I actually feel like I’ve been sucking on a breath freshener instead of a cola candy, my mouth is that tingly.

A very pleasant candy overall. I would wish that the candy came individually wrapped but at 79 cents, I can’t complain too much. Cola Bubble Ball Candy has a strong, refreshing cola flavor with no syrupy aftertaste. I highly recommend this to cola lovers.

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