3 Easy Ways to Eat Mochi Rice Cake Deliciously
“Mochi (餅)“, also called “Omochi (お餅)”, is a traditional Japanese food fairly well-recognized in many countries.
As you may know, it is a plain white rice cake made by pounding steamed glutinous rice, known as a winter food in Japan.
In general, the pounded rice is dried and cut into easy-to-eat rectangular pieces, which are sold in packages, especially during the cold winter months.
Not only available in grocery stores but in Japan, Mochi is sometimes made in homes as well.
In fact, some Japanese home appliance makers, such as Panasonic, manufacture and sell bread makers by which users can also make Mochi rice cake.
There is such a bread maker in my house, and today, my family actually made Mochi rice cake using that machine.
Only with glutinous rice called “Mochi Gome (餅米)”, Mochi can easily be made using the machine at home.
How to Eat Mochi Easily and Deliciously
These are Mochi dishes made from our homemade rice cake. From the photo above, how do you think they are cooked? Actually, both of the two recipes are very simple.
In addition to them, today I will introduce one more easy recipe using Mochi rice cake, all of which are quick and delicious Mochi dishes that represent Japan’s winter season.
Preparation
The Mochi packs sold online usually come in dried form. So as preparation, you need to steam and soften the rice cakes like the following,
- First, bring plenty of water in a pot to a boil.
- Once it boils, turn off the heat and entirely immerse a few pieces of Mochi rice cakes in the water until soft, about a few minutes.
- When they become soft enough, take them out from the pot.
Now, using those steamed rice cakes, let’s get the cooking started! First off, Oroshi Mochi.
(Note that cooked Mochi is chewy, stretchy, and very sticky, so please be cautious not to choke on it.)
Oroshi Mochi (おろし餅)
“Oroshi Mochi (おろし餅)” is a Mochi dish using grated Daikon radish.
In its name, “Oroshi (おろし)” means grating something, and in this case, Oroshi stands for grated Daikon.
The way to make Oroshi Mochi is simple as follows.
Instructions
- Put steamed Mochi rice cakes and plenty of grated Daikon radish together in a large bowl.
- Season them with soy sauce.
- Add some sugar to taste and enjoy!
Kinako Mochi (きな粉餅)
“Kinako Mochi (きな粉餅)” is one of the most common Mochi dishes.
As you may already know, “Kinako (きな粉)” is roasted soybean flour. It is most commonly used for Mochi rice cakes in Japan.
The way to prepare Kinako Mochi is also straightforward.
Instructions
- Place steamed Mochi cakes on a large plate and coat with plenty of Kinako powder.
- Sprinkle some sugar and a pinch of salt.
- Now it’s ready to eat!
Isobe Maki Mochi (磯部巻き餅)
Lastly, let me share how to prepare “Isobe Maki Mochi (磯部巻き餅)”.
In its name, “Isobe Maki (磯部巻き)” refers to the food wrapped up in a dry sheet of Nori (laver) seaweed.
Therefore, Isobe Maki Mochi is a dish (snack) consisting of a Mochi rice cake wrapped in a dry sheet of Nori.
Instructions
- Drizzle some soy sauce on a steamed Mochi rice cake.
- Wrap the Mochi in a sheet of Nori.
- Enjoy Isobe Maki Mochi!
