Traditionally
Mochi is made from a labor intensive process that involves pounding rice into a
gluttonous mass using wooden mallets. It is usually done on the 25th
of December and used in the New Year celebration. I was lucky enough to be part
of mochitsuki at school this week.
We
started with rice that had soaked overnight and was then steamed until cooked.
The already quite sticky rice was placed in a big stone bowl called an uzu.
The
rice was smushed until it stuck together, then we then took turns hitting it
with large wooden mallets called kine. At first I just watched but then was
beckoned over to help with the manual labor.
Three
of the four people had mallets and would hit the rice in sequence either
calling out a number or repeating a chant. The third person would either wet
the mochi or turn it. If the mocha isn’t wet the mallets will stick to it and
things will get very messy very quickly.All
the kids got a turn hitting the rice and the loved it!!
When
the rice was pounded into one sticky mass it was moved to a large turn crank
funnel. It squeezed the mochi into a tube which was cut into small balls and
rolled in potato starch. This was a VERY sticky process. Once the balls were
rolled int stach they were much easier to handle.
Some
of the balls were filled with anko (bean paste) or kinako (soy flour and sugar)
and some were left plain.
Mine had kinoko and was delicious. Mochi had a very
subtle taste like slightly sweetened rice the addition of the kinoko gave it a
sweet and nutty taste but also changed the texture. Mochi alone it very sticky
and gummy, but the powdered kinako added a bit of crunch and dryness.
All the kids loved making the mocha and loved
eating it even more.
