A hearty flavoured and unique, chewy gluten-free treat; a natural favourite in Japan. Mochi is made by pounding a sticky rice known as sweet rice, it comes as a hard block which when cooked, goes golden and crispy on the outside and soft and sticky on the inside. Clearspring mochi can be found either with 100% brown rice or be made with added mugwort (“Yomogi” herb), a wild Japanese herb and that gives a deep, earthy and very savoury flavour.
Mochi is supremely versatile, easy to cook and generally served as the main ingredient of a meal. Traditionally, it is included in the first meal of the Japanese New Year, usually in soup or stew, as it symbolises longevity and wealth.
It can be baked, grilled, pan-fried, or deep-fried. When cooked, it puffs up to nearly double its original size, developing a crisp crust outside and a soft, melting interior. If cooked too long, the surface cracks and the soft part inside oozes out. So, while cooking, watch carefully
Ingredients
Sweet brown rice (98%), mugwort (2%)
Directions
Baked or grilled mochi:
They are often eaten with a sweet miso topping. Baked mochi can also be cut into bite-sized pieces and added to soups during the last minute of cooking.
Pan or deep-fried mochi:
They don’t need anything more than a squirt of soya sauce or a soya sauce and fresh ginger dip.
Other ways of cooking:
Mochi can also be rolled in rice syrup, then coated with ground walnuts and eaten as a dessert.
Mochi as a snack
Naturally filling and slightly sweet, this rice food is also great on its own as a snack. For the ultimate quick and easy snack, shallow frying a couple of pieces of mochi, then rolling the hot and squidgy rectangles in toasted nori smeared with grated ginger, tamari, tekka and wasabi.