Mochi (kirimochi)

Mochi (galette de riz gluant)

What it is

Glutinous rice is pounded until no grain is left, spread, cooled and cut into bricks — kiri means cut — so that a New Year food could be kept through the rest of the year. The Tokyo Fire Department logged 338 people taken to hospital for choking on mochi between 2020 and 2024, more than nine in ten of them over sixty-five, nearly half in December and January.

In the kitchen

Grill it dry, no oil, at moderate heat until it balloons and splits, about four minutes a side; on high heat the crust sets before the middle softens. Cut each brick into pieces no larger than a thumbnail for anyone who eats slowly.

Goes with

Nori Soy sauce Kinako Adzuki bean Daikon Butter

Same species

Akazu Arborio rice Rice paper (bánh tráng) Basmati rice Black glutinous rice Black rice

Also used with

Yakiago

Something wrong here, or missing? Tell us