Itadakimas! - Mochi

Mochi
(moh-chee)

What it is:
Mochi is a really sticky sort of rice cake which is made from a special variety of rice. We had a bit of a mochi making party here yesterday and it was interesting to watch the process in action. Basically, it's made by steaming the rice, putting it into a large wooden bowl (that's basically a tree stump with a bowl carved out of the top) and then pounding it mercilessly with a special hammer until it is one glutinous mass. We took turns, of course, because it takes a lot of pounding. Then, it's covered in flour and broken up into smaller pieces.

I've had mochi several different ways. The first time i had it, it was served for breakfast wrapped in seaweed with a slice of cheese. Then, we had it in this soup that was prepared for the party yesterday. When it's put into hot water like this, it gets really gooey and stringy. Younger people prefer the softer, gooier mochi while the older generations are used to mochi being more tough. This gooeyness is controlled by how much water is used in the preparation. Water is needed to make sure the mochi doesn't stick to the hammer or the sides of the bowl.

What it tastes like:
Mochi has about as much flavour as regular rice. It's all about what it is cooked in. I personally thought that it was best in the soup pictured above. The soup sort of stuck to the mochi and just added to the texture of the soup. Quite tasty, i assure you. However, be warned. It's a bit tricky to swallow.

I'll stop eating this:
After seconds.