Originally published at: How they make mochi | Boing Boing
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Pedant nitpick:
Not all mochi is ‘sweet;’ there are many savory versions.
That said, I fluv mochi ice cream; and it is very easy to find where I live.
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Have you seen any of the Anime with Alvin videos on the Babish channel… he has at least one mochi video up…
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I had not; will add it to my queue now, though.
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Oh! There is an Ancient Recipes with Sohla episode on mochi, too!
Which is savory…
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Oh, yum…
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cool
a long time ago my wife studied kabuki dance and, from time to time, would perform at Japanese elder care facilities - and part of that gig (aside from the dancing) was to make mochi in the traditional manner and then serve to the residents gathered for the event
like this:
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Much less satisfying without pounding. Single purpose appliances were available for making mochi at home! 荒ぶる餅！昭和の餅つき機2020 / Japanese Rice Cake Machine（Mochi Maker） - YouTube
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I agree. The machines are underrated.
The mochitsuki I’ve helped with always included the use of the big hammers (kine) and mortar (usu). (As it’s taught in schools, the use of traditional tools seems to be pretty important.) But there’s always a machine mochi maker running somewhere off to the side. It takes a while to pound the rice into mochi, and it’s usually done with a big crowd, so the machine helps meet demand.
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Also, for anyone craving sweet mochi, you can make it at home using a box of mochiko (mochi rice flour) and the microwave.
You will need hands capable of handling molten lava and a friend or two to help out before it cools into an unhappy lump of carbs.
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Good video. The person who sticks the hand to turn the cake is either very brave or blissfully unaware of the consequence of bad timing.
I attended a few of these events but now all I can think of is the cliff scene from Midsommar when I see these mallets.
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Honest question: the pounding in your video is done by men. The forming by women. Any cultural significance in that? Is that the traditional way?
FTR, the pounding reminds me of West African customs of pounding millet (or maize/corn, rarely rice). Usually done by women, with marvelous skills and strengths, every morning before sunrise. I missed that sound when leaving the countryside again. Tried once to do it, and made an ass of myself, much to the delight of everyone.
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Oh dear.
I love mochi. I really should not have learned there is a machine—yes yes a special purpose machine and probably expensive–to make it.
Also, that vid:
So much kawaii.
And I probably should not have watched it before lunch. Sigh.
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One can also use a breadmaker (if you can find mochi flour)
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My favorite use of savory mochi. O-Zoni soup. (at the bottom of the picture)
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There are even home machines. But the ones I’ve seen so far are pretty expensive.
It’s hard to justify a several hundred dollar home machine to make delicious fresh mochi when I’ve got several Japanese grocery stores in my area that stock fresh mochi.
That being said, mochi is best when it’s fresh, and it doesn’t get fresher than “just made”…
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If you don’t mind a somewhat corrupted version, I have a wonderful recipe book called Food of Paradise. In it there is a recipe for something called Butter Mochi. It’s more cakelike than the traditional mochi, but can be made easily if you have access to rice flour (mochiko), and is delectable.
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That looks like a fancy combo of a rice steamer and bread machine. It prompted me to look up ways that I could make mochi at home without a $300 unitasker appliance. Seems like I can use my existing rice cooker and then use the stand mixer with a combination of using the kneading hook then the beater. Might be worth a try.
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Dammit, now I really want some mochi.
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