Today, I got a sudden craving for something crunchy and savory, so I decided to make some bubu arare. I’ve always loved these little Japanese rice crackers, ever since I first tried them at a friend’s house years ago. They’re just the perfect snack – crispy, salty, with a hint of sweetness.
First, I gathered my ingredients. I already had some cooked white rice in the fridge, which is the main ingredient. I also grabbed soy sauce, some spices from my pantry, and a little bit of sugar. I like my arare with a little kick, so I also reached for some chili flakes.
- Cooked white rice
- Soy sauce
- Spices (I used a mix of garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika)
- Sugar
- Chili flakes (optional)
I started by breaking up the cooked rice into small, bite-sized pieces. This part was a little time-consuming, but it’s important to get the pieces small enough so they puff up nicely when fried.

Next, I mixed the rice pieces with soy sauce, spices, sugar, and chili flakes in a large bowl. I made sure to coat the rice evenly with the seasonings. I let that marinate for a while, figuring the longer it sits, the more flavor it’ll soak up.
Deep-Frying the Arare
Then came the frying part. I heated up some oil in a deep pan. You gotta make sure the oil is hot enough, or the arare won’t puff up properly. Once the oil was hot, I carefully dropped the seasoned rice pieces into the pan, a few at a time. You don’t want to overcrowd the pan. I fried them until they were golden brown and crispy, which took just a few minutes per batch. It smelled so good while they were frying!
After frying, I placed the arare on a plate lined with paper towels to drain off the excess oil. They looked so good, I couldn’t resist popping a few in my mouth right away. They were perfect – crunchy, savory, with just the right amount of heat. I sprinkled on some lime zest and lime juice to get a little bit of a sour flavor in there. And I added some furikake seasoning too, to enhance the taste and the crunchy feeling because of the sesame seeds.
The whole process took a bit of time, but it was totally worth it. Now I have a big batch of homemade bubu arare to snack on. These little crackers are so addictive, I know they won’t last long in my house! I ended up making way more than I expected. I also think that I should try to add some seaweed next time, since I saw some people doing that on the Internet.
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