PURPOSE: To obtain dried rice which can be reconstituted with hot water rapidly to obtain delicious cooked rice, by adding water to rice in an amount to give rice having more than specific amount of water after steaming, steaming the rice, and keeping the steamed rice at definite water-content and a specific temperature for a specific time interval; or by immersing steamed rice in an aqueous solution of an enzyme at a specific pH, and drying the rice.

CONSTITUTION: Polished rice is washed with water, added with water so as to give a steamed rice having a water-content of ≥60%, steamed to convert the rice to α-form, maintained at 25W80°C for ≥30min keeping the water-content within the range of 50W80%, and dried to obtain the objective dried rice. As an alternative method, the rice converted to α-form is immersed in an aqueous solution containing 0.001W0.5wt%, based on the rice, of an enzyme such as pectinase, cellulase, protease, etc. at 4W8pH, and the treated rice is washed with water, and dried to obtain the instant dried rice.