Just as I start to write about Korean Natural Farming recipes and formulas, I get sidetracked. My son-in-law’s mother (Yoko) is here and she brought sheets of prepared and cut mochi from Seattle because son-in-law loves mochi and she used to put it in everything that had a sauce or soup. Beef stew, curry, natto, sukiyaki, udon, etc.
I also love mochi. But not in natto – bleh! Recently I added it to some Thai green curry that I made because it was too watery. That was pretty good, if I do say so myself!
This mochi is not the pretty colored one that are super soft with delicious fillings of bean paste, strawberries and cream, peanut butter, etc. It is the plain white mochi used in ozoni made with a mochi maker machine. In the old days, it was made by pounding with mallets in a mortar. It is soft, chewy and yummy on the first day, and then it gets tough and hard.
Freshly made plain mochi is usually rolled out in sheets and cut into rectangles or rolled into balls and flattened. Yoko brought over “bricks” of mochi wrapped in several layers of plastic wrap. Each brick was a stack of many flat rectangles which were easy to use. I was in heaven and made New Year’s ozoni and feasted on Yoko’s mochi dishes such as baked mochi that was used like bread to pick up salmon crumbles, mochi in grated radish, mochi in kinako and maple syrup, mochi in miso soup, and mochi fried up like popcorn. I think I gained about 5 pounds.
After the New Year mochi meals were over, I still had some very hard mochi that I kept in the refrigerator. I could have put them in the freezer but every mid morning and mid afternoon, they (the mochi) called to me, “Eat me, eat me!” And so I did.
I put a thin coating of butter on the front and back of each mochi and fried it in a nonstick pan until a slight crust formed on each side and the mochi became soft and slightly puffy. I then put in on a dish and pour just a little soy sauce on it. OMG. So delicious. Chewy, sticky, sweet and buttery with the saltiness of soy sauce. It goes so well with a cup of hot tea.
Each day I eat these I think I gain another pound. But it is worth it. And I will soon run out of mochi. Or maybe not because Yoko now has a mochi maker machine here. Sweeet!
Fry on medium/low heat until soft 
Butter top and bottom and fry 
Plate the hot mochi and add a little soy sauce
I love mochi but am not supposed to eat it because I’m diabetic. Sigh… By the way, do you know that you can already order test kits? https://www.covidtests.gov/
They opened it up early to test it. Might be easier to do it now than tomorrow.
Ah, Kay. You are a good patient and actually pay attention to what you need to do. I shouldn’t eat mochi either but I still do…
Thanks for the link for the free in-home Covid tests. My friends sent me the link. The US Government ordered half a billion of these kits for us. Funny, though – when I signed up it said that my address already received the tests. I’ll keep trying. Maybe the system got overloaded.
Also, Chunkys used to have Chikara udon which they put 2 pieces of mochi in udon. That was my absolute favorite! Can you imagine the calories??!!! Of course, I was also in my 20’s metabolism wasn’t a problem, LOL
Also, do you eat the Korean mochi sticks? like in dukpokki? or been to Shokudo when they have mochi cheese in dashi and broiled melted cheese on top? or have you watched the Korean version of Midnight Diner when the gangster ate the broiled mochi sticks wrapped in nori? That’s my latest addiction. OMG, so so ono!
or, wrapped in bacon and broiled for pupu? gah ! and I wonder why I’m so fat!
dang, look what you started!
Oh my! You get the award as the greatest mochi lover of all times. Never had Chunky’s chikara udon. Always went for their sweet and sour spare ribs, yum yum. I tried the Korean mochi sticks but wasn’t impressed. However, I will watch the Korean Midnight Diner and try it in nori. Gotta be good. Even though it is so bad. And, btw, you are NOT fat!
you know what else it taste good with? oxtail soup!!!
I’m pretty sure I had mochi once, on one of my flights through Japan on their airlines but that was a long time ago. I’m also fairly certain it tastes much better fresh than in a airline food tray.
It is kind of an acquired taste because it is sweet but not sweet like candy. The texture is what has me hooked.
Hi there, auntie! I just read your comment on my blog and had to answer you directly. I am so pleased to hear that the Five Tibetan Rites have helped you as they have me. A number of my friends have taken them up, too. Years ago I ate a fair amount of mochi, but I also figured out that it’s pretty fattening and got out of the habit. These days I am working to keep the extra weight off that I recently shed. My level of activity needs to increase, but will probably not return to my prepandemic levels. 🙂
I hear mochi calling to me too!!