Mochi making 2009
New Years Day is coming – I’m resting up for two full days of cooking. A big part of my Japanese New Years party is mochi. Mochi is a traditional Japanese rice cake – it can be sweet – but on New Year’s it’s plain, eaten with kinako or soy sauce+sugar.
In the old days my family used to pound mochi by hand with mallets. THAT’s old skool. Me? I use the new electric plugged in machine with very minimal work on my part because I live in the future.
I recently went to thefoodlibrarian’s house where they used old school machines to make their mochi. They’ve been doing it for 50 years and they’ve got the process down – steaming the rice, extruding the mochi, cooling the mochi, forming the mochi, letting it sit in a bed of mochiko flour, and then finally packaging it. We made over 150 pounds of mochi. Unbelievable.
It was a lot of work but so worth it. There’s nothing as good as fresh mochi!
Okay…I have to ask though it embarasses me a little to do so….what is mochi? Is it sweet, is it savoury? I don’t understand!!
Love this blog, and i love mochi.. But i cant ever make it. I’ve tried many recipes and i never get it right. I know it must be tough if you don’t have the right machine, but do you know of any recipe i can try??
ooh I love mochi! Looks delicious! You mentioned using an electric machine to make yours – where can I find a machine like that?? Thanks!
@Tash mochi can be sweet with a filling, on New Year’s it’s not – it’s just plain steamed rice formed into a cake.
@Jen I have no idea what you’re talking about
@Rosey Click on the “mochi” tag on the right, you’ll find a ton of different recipes, easy I promise.
https://justjennrecipes.com/category/mochi/
@Vivian I got my machine at a Japanese Market. I’ll post the pics after New Year’s…
uh. the only mochi ive ever had is like a chewy marshmallow.
oh…heavenly glutinous-y rice.
sounds so tasty!!! great idea for traditional new years for my kids and fiance because they are asian 🙂 ( from korea )
thanks!
Ohhhh, the mom of the kids we had a playdate with today was talking about how they went & made mochi at church the other day (pounded it!). And now your post! Makes me want toasted mochi w/ soysauce/sugar 🙂
I love getting little mochi bits on my frozen yogurt — or eating mochi with red bean paste — but it never occurred to me to make by own. I bet it’s even better fresh. Yum.
Hi Jenn,
What is the name and the manufacturer of thefoodlibrarian’s mochi machine or extruder.
Thanks
Charles
@Charles
I really don’t know. They were very old extruders – I don’t even think they were specifically for mochi…sorry!
Very cool, will have to check this out at one point.
What brand and model is the machine used to make the mochi?
Hi
I have 2 mochi machines i am looking to sell, like the one in the pictures above. No Motor/belt, just the extruder with funnel.
I actually have 3, but one was my grandfathers and used for Tofu. i cannot sell that one, but the other two are avail.
searchingdeals@yahoo.com
Greetings! Do you still have the mochie extruders? I am writing on behalf of the Portland Nichiren Buddhist temple.
Thanks, Cathy Glass