Traditional Japanese Rice Treat Brightens New Year
Explore This Series
Lauren Jabusch is a Japanese-American, and she talks about her family's holiday food tradition of making Japanese mochi, steamed rice treats.
Jabusch, whose family has been making mochi for generations, says the recipe starts wtih soaking grains of rice.
"They're soaked overnight and then they are drained," she says. Her family uses a mochi maker to first steam and then pound the rice into a paste. "Then we shape it by hand into individual balls," she says.
The traditional method of making mochi involves many people helping to pound the rice in a big granite bowl with a wooden mallet over a fire. Instead, Jabusch says, the device her family uses looks like a breadmaker. "It's cheating, but the big method involves a lot of work and involves a huge group of people and we just do it with our immediate family."
More From This Series
The Salt
Haitians Mark The New Year With A Belly Full Of Soup
A traditional Haitian soup is so beloved on New Year's Day that it can land some in the hospital.
Chompsgiving To Chew Year's: Holiday Dishes
Traditional Japanese Rice Treat Brightens New Year
Lauren Jabusch talks about her family's holiday food tradition of making Japanese mochi.
Chompsgiving To Chew Year's: Holiday Dishes
A Checkerboard Cake With Slovak Roots
Punch torte is a new year's family tradition started in the former Czechoslovakia.
Comments
Discussions for this story are now closed. Please see the Community FAQ for more information.