What's up with Miora? Or, Miola or Sushi Rice Powder?

Cooking Discussions Cooking, Cookbooks, Ingredients
1

I’ve come across this powder you add to sushi rice as it cooks.

Lots written about it, mainly that “most” sushi restaurants use it to make sushi,
and that it makes the rice addictively delicious.

http://grillinterrupted.com/?p=2784

Ever used it? Know anything about it?

It appears to be enzymes (protease, amylase), some kelp or seaweed flavor or kombu,
glucose or trehalose or some form of sugar, and MSG.

Ostensibly, the enzymes change the starch structure of the rice grain and allow the flavorings and water to penetrate the grain when without the enzymes they would not, thereby making the rice more flavorful.

Some sushi rice powders contain a powdered vinegar to create the classic sushi flavor combo of rice + vinegar + sugar.

Some brands list only the ingredients of potato starch and glucose. No enzymes.
I’m guessing the potato starch is a filler.

Is this stuff smoke and mirrors? Or is something going on?

Why does nearly everybody who has used it raved about it?

Does using Miora simply eliminate all the post-cooking prep by adding the vinegar
and sugar during cooking?

I’m obviously lost, full of questions, and would love some input from you guys.

2

I’m not sure if anyone shed some light onto this. It’s not a flavor enhancer. It’s simply to have the rice grains slightly bigger, have a greater shine when mixed with the rice vinegar, and to the most important factor for the miola is so that the rice doesn’t stick together, they’re broken like individual grains.

There is the basic miola (can color is green red and white), which i like more because it seems like the extra added ingredients in the miola gold (your picture) sometimes cause some grains of rice to be sushi.

1 Like
3

Appreciate your reply. After experiments and lots of digging – including writing to the manufacturers – the conclusion I came too was that this is a product for food service or manufacturing and not for home preparation.

The chemistry does allow the rice grain to swell larger, and keeps the grains separate. It’s used in manufacturing for this purpose, especially when the cooked and prepared rice will be frozen.