Tamaki Haiga - Shortgrain Rice 2kg

I'm on my 5th bag of the Tamiki Haiga. I made the switch to haiga-mai rice after looking for something between white and brown rice, that keeps some of the germ of the rice on the grain. The quality is excellent, the packaging is good (always bug free for me) and it cooks very near the consistency of white sushi rice.

UPDATE: September 30, 2020 Replenished my stock and it was put into a box without any headroom (the bag touched the top of the box) so when I cut it open it cut open the bag of rice. Annoying. The rice is nitrogen-packed which keeps it fresh and I wasn't ready to open this bag for another couple of weeks. :( I love rice. Short grain, long grain, sushi, basmati, arborio, carnaroli, bomba, Jasmine, sticky, black, red, green, white. But for many years, Lundberg Golden Rose, a medium-to-short grain brown rice, was my standard, every day rice, and pretty much my favorite rice, despite being brown. (In other varieties of rice I preferred the taste of white rice.) Sadly, they stopped growing it. I was looking for another all-around day-to-day rice. I experimented making GABA rice, I also sprouted rice, and tried other ways to coax myself to eat brown rice. I had two concerns: Limiting the phytic acid/making the nutrients bio available and flavor. I did feel slightly virtuous eating the sprouted and GABA rice, but the one aspect of brown rice I did like (not the taste), the "bite" or chewiness, was destroyed. Then a few years ago I heard about Haga Mai, but it wasn't readily available. When I saw this on Amazon, I knew I had to try it. This rice is ridiculously delicious. It is chewy, has the mildness of white rice with just a bit of the rich flavor of brown. It could end up being my permanent replacement for Golden Rose. But it is very pricey. I am hoping that if demand increases, the price will come down. Really good though! *I'm still rating it four stars for value for money because if it is as nutritionally rich as all the hype, it's a pretty good value.

I absolutely love this rice. It's delicious and nutritious. I like to make it in my instant pot and it comes out perfect every time. 1 cup of rice to 1 cup of liquid (I like to make it with broth) or water, a generous pinch of salt. Cook 4 minutes at high pressure and allow for natural pressure release (which takes about 15-20 minutes) and the rice comes out perfect. Tender with just the right amount of chew. Sometimes I sauté a finely chopped shallot in duck fat (or butter) directly in the Instant Pot before adding the rice and liquid for extra flavor. Mmmm, I'm going to make some today! P.S. Make sure to rinse the rice well several times before use.

This is so tasty, I'm buying this for life.

Haigamai (with the germ but not the bran) is a great alternative to brown rice, whether you have trouble digesting brown rice, are worried about the bran's phytic acid preventing mineral absorption, or just don't like it. Tamaki is highly regarded as a premier grower of Koshikari rice, and they manages the process from growing to milling to packaging in central California. If you like Japanese (short grain and a bit sticky) rice, give it a try, I've been eating Tamaki Haiga for over two decades.

I've cooked Tamaki Haiga for many years and happy that it can now be purchased through Amazon. These days I add a tbsp of shio koji to a pot when I cook it.

I pretty much exclusively buy this rice, which sounds ridiculous because of the expense over other rice, but it's true. I also don't eat rice every day, or even every week so a bag does last me a bit. But everyone I make this rice for is really impressed. The rice is definitely more than just regular white rice. There is actual flavor with this rice, there is almost a slight nutty flavor to it. And the texture is more substantial than regular white rice, while still remaining soft and light. When I prepare it I give it a wash through a strainer to remove a lot of the starch. I also often pair it with a sauce I make with butter and soy sauce (sometimes add a few drops of sesame oil as well), and it's amazing! Try it out you won't be disappointed. I just took 1 star off because of the price being what it is. I say it's worth it, but others might not agree.

Our favorite rice.