Meet Mochi.She's a bicoastal cat from Florida who braved the winters in Michigan and flew in a plane to live a life of feline luxury in beautiful, sunny Southern California.
How did this cute kitty get her special unique name? After an unsuccessful day as 'Snowball,' I thought back to an old college roommate and her all white cat named 'Mochi.' And I knew. I knew that she'd be called 'Mochi.' After all, I love all things rice. Including the subtly sweet, sticky, squishy white ball of prepared rice.
And what exactly is mochi and how do you make it? To an unsuspecting person, a ball of mochi can kind of look like a little flattened but packed snowball.A few years ago, I learned first-hand how to make the stuff. In Japanese tradition, a bunch of old ladies and men from the church (along with the younger members) gathered before the New Year for Mochitsuki. Almost like a rite of passage, I got to learn from the elders what's involved in handmaking Mochi.
Huge trays full of rice are steamed to sticky perfection. Once cooked, it's pounded with large wooden mallets in an oversized round stone bowl. Each person gets a chance to pound the rice. I had my try and it's a lot harder than it looks. The mallets are pretty heavy, and I found it difficult to raise the mallet over my shoulder and down on the soft and bouncy rice. With each pound, it's like a rhythmic dance in succinct succession. Slowly, the mass of white goodness begins to take shape into a big ball as long wooden poles continue to beat the rice. Once cooled, the women squeeze and roll a small handful of the pounded rice on flour covered tables. Similar to making hamburger patties, you can form the dough-like rice into single servins with red bean or plain. (I like mine plain.)
But only because I can then eat them with crispy nori and some sweet teriyaki sauce the way my grandma likes to make. Cooked on a mini grill over the stove-top flame, it's a bit charred and softened to a nice chewy consistency. Then dipped in sauce and wrapped with a piece of seaweed, it's best with a cup of o-cha. Mmm...the other night, I ate two of them!
I also like my mochi filled with another favorite of mine...ICE CREAM! Mikawaya in Little Tokyo has been making this sweet confection for years, and my favorite is the Mango Mochi Ice Cream. They come in boxes of 6 and can be picked up at your local Trader Joe's. Or you can get a single serving in J-town for about 75 cents. This was my treat after a nice sushi dinner a little while back. Just enough ice cream and mochi to keep me content. After biting into it, you get the mixed textures of the soft, melt-in-your-mouth sweet mango ice cream along with the soft, chewy consistency of the mochi skin. It never fails that I finish this treat with floured up lips and flour crusted fingertips. They're that finger lickin' good!
Where to get freshly made Mochi for the New Year? My family passes on all the traditional laborous activities of Mochitsuki but orders a bunch of mochi from the San Fernando Valley Hongwanji Buddhist Temple. Or you could just go to your local Marukai, Mitsuwa, Mikawaya, or other Japanese market or sweet shop for your mochi fix.Mikawaya in Little Tokyo
Street: 118 Japanese Village Mall
T: 1.213.628.6514
San Fernando Valley Hongwanji Buddhist Temple
Street: 9450 Remick Avenue, Pacoima, CA 91331
T: 1.818.899.4030
Mochitsuki picture taken from: http://www.zenshuji.org/mochi2002_album03.html
11 comments:
Hi Kristy - Very nice post, it brings back alot of memories! I enjoy manju and mochi, though I really don't like Ozoni, actually it's one of those things I pretty much dislike - probably because I was always forced to eat it on New Years! Can't wait to see what you'll do during Obon! I'm sure "Mochi" is gonna get right into the SoCal groove...
I fucking love mochi. Sometimes, I go to the Korean market and eat a whole tray of 8 in one sitting --
I'm allergic to cats though...
Kirk: I love Ozoni...maybe because I NEVER got it from my own family on New Year's. I get my fix from a family friend's New Year's Day party. Mmm...can't wait! And how I do love obon! =)
Siel: Never got mochi from a Korean market. But I do like the Korean New Year's rice cakes. YUM! And I'm allergic to cats too. If it gets really bad, I pop a Zyrtec.
The non-evil Mochis looks tasty (especially the mongo), but the one shadily hiding behind the curtain... i dont know about.
Dude, can you please tell me next time you get that nori/mochi thing. it looks AMAZING. *sigh*
Mac: Don't be jealous that Mochi the cat sleeps with me all the time! ;)
EDnB: We can cook some up for you, if you like. We got a freezer full of mochi we just bought. =)
Yum! My ex-boyfriend's Grandma used to make the mochi with the nori and teriyaki sauce - it was soo good. She also made some with a pinkish brown sweet/ savory powder on the outside. I have no idea what it was called, but it was soo good. Do you have any idea what I'm talking about? I'd love to get some more.
Hi Amanda! Thanks for stopping by! Yes...I absolutely love the mochi with nori and teri sauce! Mmm... may have to make some tonight! =) I'm not sure if you mean Kinako Mochi - it's usually eaten as a sweet dessert or snack. The powder is a light brownish color and is a soy bean powder. If so, you can hit up any Japanese market for some. Not sure if you're in the LA area - if you are...Mikawaya has a LOT of mochi and manju that you can choose from, including the Kinako Mochi. =)
I love mochi with red bean paste.
I didn't know they were so hard to make. Is there any way to make them at home, say, with rice flour?
It must be Kinako Mochi. I AM in LA & I will def. make a trip to little tokyo to pick up some ingredients before New Year's Eve!
Thanks!
Hi Amy! Checked out your blog and see that we've got some similar orbits. Great to see another foodie in this universe. ;) As for making mochi, it's a lot easier nowadays with the rice flour (mochiko). Typically, I have made mochi this way (without the filling though) cuz I like it plain a lot of times. Do wanna try mochi ice cream though! ;) After surfing the net, I found this recipe that looks promising... Chibirisu's Daifuku mochi. The Mochitsuki is just the very old school, traditional way of making mochi. =) I hear that there's a electronic mochi maker too!
Hi Amanda! So if you're in LA, you're in luck. There are TONS of places to get your fill on Mochi, Mochiko, Kinako, etc. Stop by your local Japanese (or other Asian market for that matter). There's Mitsuwa, Marukai, and your other mom and pop places in Little Tokyo, Gardena, and West LA in the Sawtelle area. Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu! (translation: happy new year!)
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