Akumaki (Lye-Cooked Glutinous Rice Cake)

Quick answer

Total time: 220 min
Level: Hard
Servings: 15 servings
Ingredients: 4

About this dish

Akumaki is a Kagoshima rice cake made by soaking glutinous rice overnight in food-grade lye water, wrapping it tightly in bamboo sheaths, and simmering it for about 3 hours.

It is done when the separate grains disappear and the packet holds a translucent amber mass. After cooling, it is cut and served with roasted soybean flour or dark sugar. The alkaline liquid softens the rice into a cohesive gel, so a secure wrapper and steady long cooking are essential to the texture.

Ingredients (15 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Unit
glutinous rice	1500	g
food-grade lye water	1800	ml
bamboo sheaths	15	sheet
roasted soybean flour	150	g

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Prep

Wash 1.5kg glutinous rice and soak it in 1.8L food-grade lye water for 24 hours.

Separately soak 15 bamboo sheaths in water for 2 to 3 days, then scrub away their fine surface hairs.
2

Step

Drain the soaked rice thoroughly in a sieve.

Tear three 1cm-wide strips from the base of each bamboo sheath to use as ties for the packets.
3

Step

Place about 100g drained rice lengthwise in the center of each bamboo sheath.

Roll the top and bottom toward the center, then fold both sides tightly to make a long sealed packet.
4

Step

Tie both ends and the center of every packet firmly with the bamboo strips.

Leave slight room for the rice to expand, but no gap through which the sheath can open or rice can escape.
5

Control

Submerge the packets completely in a large pot of water and hold them down with a drop lid.

Simmer over medium-low heat for about 3 hours, adding hot water whenever needed to keep them submerged.
6

Finish

Open one packet and check that the grains have disappeared into a glossy amber gel.

Cool fully, remove the bamboo sheath, slice, and serve with 150g roasted soybean flour.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Glutinous rice soaked 24 hours in food-grade lye water
Finish cue: Open one packet and check that the grains have disappeared into a glossy amber gel.
Avoid this: Use only lye water sold for food preparation and avoid prolonged bare-skin contact.
Storage and reheating: Akumaki is a Kagoshima rice cake made by soaking glutinous rice overnight in food-grade lye water, wrapping it tightly in bamboo sheaths, and simmering it for about 3 hours.