Mochi is a Japanese sticky rice cake made from special glutinous rice. The rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape. In Japan it is traditionally made in a ceremony called mochitsuki.
While also eaten year-round, mochi is a traditional food for the Japanese New Year and is commonly sold and eaten during that time.
We were invited to a mochitsuki party to experience the tradition of the Japanese New Year. It was a really fun party. We even get to pound the rice into mochi as well as sample the final product.
The rice is soaked overnight and steamed. It is then placed in a traditional mortar called usu. The rice is pounded with wooden mallets and two people alternate the work, one pounding and the other turning and wetting the mochi. The sticky stuff is then formed little round balls.
The mochi can be eaten many ways - in soups, with powdered sesame, with grated daikon (radish) and soy sauce, with sweet red bean paste inside or just plain. There were four pots of different soups at the party - sweet red bean, miso, ginger and beef with vegetables. Of course we tried everyone of them!
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| Mark having a go at pounding the mochi |
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| Even the kids get to go, although with a smaller mallet |
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| Forming the mochi into little round balls |
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| This batch of mochi has dried shrimps added to it. |
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