The other day, the monthly information magazine "Nikkei Trendy" announced "2014 Best 30 Hit Products". Character-related products such as "Frozen", which was selected as the 1st place, and "Yokai Watch", which was the 2nd place, occupy the top ranks. It's time to look back on another year.

However, what the En-eating editorial department paid attention to was the "2015 Hit Expected Ranking" that was also announced. In the same ranking, "Gourmet" Healthy "Foods" has been selected as No. 1 because a new functional labeling system for foods will start in FY2015. I'm curious about this, but I found something called "rice milk" in 4th place. What is rice milk?


◆ Rice milk = rice milk = porridge?

Rice milk, as the name implies, is like milk made from "rice". Although it is rarely seen in Japan, it seems that it is used as a vegetable substitute food for milk, that is, "vegetable milk", like soy milk and almond milk, mainly in the United States where there are many vegetarians. Along with almond milk, it is also called the "third milk". People who are highly conscious of health and beauty may know it.

When I asked a female staff member in her twenties, "Do you know rice milk?", She answered, "It's like that porridge." e? Are you using porridge as a substitute for milk?

◆ Try drinking a commercial product

I don't think porridge can be used in the same way as milk ... Anyway, I decided to try ready-made rice milk, which I think people from overseas are also drinking.

This time I bought an Italian organic rice milk called "VITARIZ". It is sold under the product name "Rice Drink". The package also includes languages other than Italian, so it may be drunk in various countries.


When I poured it into a glass, a cafe au lait-colored liquid came out. It is a liquid color similar to cafe au lait with a lot of milk. The taste was like cafe au lait ... it wasn't like milk with a slightly sweet aftertaste. You can feel the sweetness of rice in the aftertaste. Almond milk has an almond-specific scent, but is much easier to drink. In addition, you can feel the scent of sunflower seeds (it's good for snacks!), And it's not very rice-like. It is different from porridge.


Looking at the ingredient label, the only ingredients are water, rice, sunflower oil, and salt, and no sugar. That means that the faint sweetness is probably derived from rice. Looking at the product description, it seems that it is used not only as a substitute for milk, but also as a sweetener to match coffee and tea.

Rice milk is easy to drink even without sugar, and it seems to have a wider range of arrangements than almond milk. This may be a hit ...!

However, there is one drawback. It's not a price you can buy on a daily basis. At a supermarket that sells imported foods that I purchased, 1 liter costs 626 yen including tax. If I buy it every day, I can't make a living.

◆ Try to make it yourself

However, this is Japan. You can get the rice as a material right away! As expected, sunflower oil is not always available, but water, rice and salt are in front of me. So I decided to make it myself.

When I searched for recipes, it seems that there are many people who are handmade, mainly those who are allergic to milk and vegetarians. This time, I referred to the recipe published in "Manga artist Yukichi-sensei's Nippachi! Organic classroom" that introduces organic eating habits.

All you need is rice (1 go), water (half a glass), and a blender. Cook rice, put it in a blender, add water and switch on. Take a minute or two and when it's smooth, it's done. It's too easy ...!


When I opened the lid, it turned into a thick white liquid. Certainly this is like porridge. Like porridge that is too soft and overcooked, like the edge of a mochi that contains plenty of water that sticks to the pestle when it is made. Anyway, the viscosity is high. Even if I pour it into a glass, it's still food rather than a drink.


Drink ... No, when I tried it, it was porridge. You can feel the sweetness of the rice, and it's not that bad because you're used to the taste of rice, but you may not feel like eating it aggressively.

So, when I added about 200 ml of water, it finally looked like a drink. When I drank it, it looked like a drink, but this time it was just like porridge that was too thin. Even though I put it in a blender for a long time, I'm also worried about the rough texture of the rice grains. I can't get rid of the feeling of eating rice rather than drinking.


◆ Try to arrange

Considering that rice goes well with various ingredients, it may be delicious to arrange this handmade rice milk.

First of all, I added "honey" and "salt" that Dr. Yukichi recommended. Adding honey adds a gentle sweetness and makes it easier to drink. On the other hand, if you add salt, the taste will be much tighter. It reminds me of Turkish Ayran (drinking salt yogurt). I recommend salt because it is easier to drink.

But after all, I can't get rid of the impression that the rice is seasoned somewhere. Next, I tried to make milk pudding-style sweets using a type of pudding that melts in hot water.

Warm the rice milk in the microwave, mix it well with the pudding ingredients, remove the heat and cool it in the refrigerator. When I tried the finished pudding, it was lighter than the one using milk, and it was quite good. The staff who ate it said, "I don't know what I used."


Rice milk seems to be more effective when used in cooking than when it is drunk as it is. If you use it for cooking, it may be easier to use if you make it thinner.

By the way, the sweet scent of handmade rice milk was noticeably more delicious when warmed than when it was cold. It may be good for the coming season when it gets cold.

◆ Will rice milk be a hit?

Considering the persistent popularity of soy milk and the popularity of almond milk, which is the same "third milk", it may be said that rice milk is also likely to be a hit. After all, rice is readily available (on the contrary, it's likely to be found in almost every household), so it's surprisingly less hassle than making almond milk by hand. There seems to be a recipe made from rice flour, brown rice, and fermented brown rice, which may be a great help for people suffering from milk allergies.

There are still few commercial products available in Japan, but if they become popular, the number of shops handling them will increase. By this time of 2015, rice milk may be among the top hit products.