PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a new method for producing a rice cake or dumpling, which is capable of applying an excellent flavor and functional ingredient as well as beautiful coloring, and capable of significantly suppressing hardening of the rice cake or dumpling due to the elapse of time.SOLUTION: The method for producing the rice cake or dumpling includes producing the rice cake or dumpling after adding at least one kind of vegetable and/or fruit selected from strawberries, tomatoes, lemons, or the like to the raw materials such as rice, and cooking the raw materials under the presence of moisture. According to the method for production, the rice cake or dumpling is colored with natural pigment of the vegetable and/or fruit, and contains fruit sugar and glutamic acid. The hardness of the rice cake or dumpling preserved for two hours at 20°C after heated in a microwave oven for one minute at 500 W/100 g is 2-12 kg/cm2. In this way, the rice cake or dumpling excellent in the coloration, taste, functionality, and flexibility can be obtained.COPYRIGHT: (C)2012,JPO&INPIT【課題】着色の美しさだけでなく、良好な呈味と機能性成分の付与、そして時間の経過による餅又はだんごの硬化を著しく抑制することのできる、新しい餅又はだんごの製造方法を提供すること。【解決手段】米を主体とする原料に、イチゴ、トマト、レモン等から選ばれた1種類以上の野菜及び/又は果実を添加して、水分存在下で加熱調理した後に、製餅又はだんご製造を行うことを特徴とする、餅又はだんごの製造方法を提供する。係る製造方法によれば、前記野菜及び/又は果実が持つ天然色素によって着色され、果糖及びグルタミン酸を含み、100gあたり500Wで1分間電子レンジで加熱した後に20℃で2時間保存した場合の硬さが2~12kg/cm2である、呈色性、呈味性、機能性および柔軟性に優れた餅又はだんごが得られる。【選択図】なし
