GOOD LIVING White and translucent when raw, Kokuho Rose grains cook up moist, tender, and just clingy enough to grab easily with chopsticks.
MARTHA S T E WA R T
American Made
Amazing Grains KODA FARMS, South Dos Palos, California
For generations of Asian Americans, a hefty sack of Kokuho Rose rice has represented home. Developed in the 1950s at Koda Farms in the San Joaquin Valley, this iconic varietal of medium-grain, Japonica-style rice became a staple for many Japanese, Chinese, and Korean immigrants searching for the familiar stickiness and texture they found lacking in the typical long-grain types at U.S. supermarkets. Today, more than a century since its founding by Keisaburo Koda, a native of Japan’s Fukushima prefecture, Koda remains California’s oldest family-owned-and-operated rice farm and mill—and still grows some of the most delicious kernels in the country. Siblings Robin Koda and Ross Koda, grandchildren of the founder, run the company today with a close eye on its legacy. They plant heirloom Kokuho Rose seeds, which take longer to mature and are more difficult to harvest than modern counterparts due to their taller height. The payoff, says Robin, is a faintly floral, almost sweet flavor: “It hasn’t had everything tasty bred out of it.” But buyer beware—look-alike brands (there are several) are no match. “We now put our grandfather’s photo on our table-rice packaging to distinguish it,” says Robin. “We want to live up to his standards.” —Catherine Hong
42
SEPTEMBER 2021
PHOTOGRAPH BY FRANK FRANCES
ST YLING BY LORNA AR AGON (LEF T); COURTESY OF R&R KODA (1, 3); LUKE AMARU (2); MASA BABA (4)
THE DETAILS: Organic Kokuho Rose, from $6 for 1 lb., kodafarms.com. Masuda Kiribako storage canister (traditional box made of naturally insect- and mold-resistant paulownia wood), $150, shoptenzo.com.
