Let's explore the charm of HONKAKUITAME-CHAHAN (fried rice) together with " Itame-kun®", the fairy of fried rice and the official supporting character!

Prior to 2001, when HONKAKUITAME-CHAHAN (fried rice) was launched, frozen fried rice products for home use were chinese-style mixed rice. Frying a large amount of rice in a delicious and uniform manner required a high level of skill.

Nichirei Foods thoroughly analyzed the "taste" of professional fried rice and the "technique" behind it. Over a period of about four years, Nichirei Foods created Japan's first frozen fried rice that incorporated the "stir-frying" process.

Since its launch, HONKAKUITAME-CHAHAN (fried rice) has maintained the top position in the frozen cooked fried rice market. There is no other frozen food product in the entire industry that has recorded No. 1 sales since its launch.
(Based on Intage SRI+ Frozen Cooked Fried Rice Market March 2017-February 2024, cumulative sales for each year / Intage SRI Frozen Cooked Fried Rice Market March 2001-February 2017, cumulative sales for each year)

With annual sales exceeding 15 billion yen, HONKAKUITAME-CHAHAN (fried rice), which sells more than one unit every second, was recognized by Guinness World Records™ as the "World's Best Selling Fried Rice". This is the second time since 2021 that the product has been recognized.
(Record name: Largest frozen fried rice brand (latest annual sales) Target years: 2020 and 2023)

The crispy texture of the rice is one of the charms of HONKAKUITAME-CHAHAN (fried rice)! In order to convey this sense of crispiness in the package, we have taken great care to show each grain of rice in the picture.

In fact, the degree to which the rice grains pop has changed slightly with each package renewal. Click here to see how the package has changed over the years.

When do you think is the most popular time of the year to eat fried rice? The answer is "summer," and it has been found that it is most commonly eaten from early to mid-August.

In 2015, Nichirei Foods established August 8 as "Fried Rice Day" because the word "parapara", a characteristic of delicious fried rice, and the number 8 match well in Japanese. We hope you will remember it.

HONKAKUITAME-CHAHAN (fried rice) is loved by many people. Its characteristic authentic flavor and crispy texture are difficult to reproduce at home. How exactly is it made? Let us introduce a little of the production process!

The rice used is first-class rice* from Hokkaido. We carefully select rice with uniform grains. The method of cooking is also a twist. The rice is cooked in a way that suppresses the stickiness of the rice, which leads to an increase in the crispiness of the fried rice.

First-grade rice: One of the grades of rice determined by rice inspection. Rice that satisfies items such as a grain ratio of 70% or more.

Nichirei's unique patented "3-stage stir-frying process" is the most important point of HONKAKUITAME-CHAHAN (fried rice)! By stir-frying in three stages, we are able to reproduce the process used by professional chefs.

Cut green onions are added to quick-frozen fried rice and packaged. The green onions are not stir-fried together with the rice, but are added just before packaging, so that a nice aroma spreads when heated in a microwave oven or pan at home.

This product has an appealing crispy texture that is reproduced with professional-grade heat. In recent years, we have built a new factory and introduced AI technology into the manufacturing process, and we are continuing our trial-and-error efforts to respond to the popularity of this product. In Part 2, we take a closer look at the cutting-edge technology introduced into the manufacturing process of HONKAKUITAME-CHAHAN (fried rice)!