Breaking up the mound of hardened Koji rice.
Kirikaeshi is one of the steps of making Koji Rice. After the rice is steamed and sprinkled with koji mold spores, the rice is mounded, covered with blankets to retain heat, and allowed to sit overnight. During this time the rice mound hardens as the koji mold grows and interconnects between the grains. Kirikaeshi is the step of breaking up this mound of koji rice back into individual grains after it has sat overnight. This kirikaeshi step is usually done in the morning.
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