Thursday, February 16, 2006
Sinful pleasures: the soft, supple flesh of the mochi
I have yet to meet a glutinous rice product that I did not like--a statement that leads me to my last act of gluttony.A couple weeks ago, while celebrating the birthday of one half of Bitch-Dork (the Dork-half), the greediest two of the entourage (I won't name names, but obviously I was one of the two), abandoned the party and went on a snack-run. We headed straight to M2M, a 24-hour Korean grocery store that stocks many tasty Japanese products. We were on a mission: we knew exactly what we wanted and how much food we would be taking on. Heading straight to the freezer section, we pulled out the Mikawaya brand of strawberry-flavoured mochi ice cream. Between the two of us, we had three mochis each.
I haven't actually tried all seven flavours of this ice cream, but I love the pale pink colour of strawberry kind--which comes from beet juice. Looking at all 6 mochi nestled in the tray, these desserts look like something Smurfs would have made.
Mochi is a Japanese product that is actually made by pounding cooked glutinous rice into a paste, flavoured, then shaped--according to Wikipedia. I'm more familiar with the Chinese version of glutinous rice-based desserts, where uncooked glutinous rice is ground into flour, made into a dough, shaped, and then cooked. This difference in preparation may contribute to the fact that the Chinese desserts I've had don't hold up well in the cold. Any refrigeration results in a hard, powdery texture that loses all the appeal of the chewy, gooey consistency of glutinous rice desserts. These mochi ice cream gems, however, are soft and springy on the outside, yet cool and creamy on the inside. Thanks to my partner-in-crime's cold-tolerant teeth, I am able to share this delightful contrast of temperature and composition. Here, I bring you the best cross-sectional view of a dessert in the history of Hungry Hippo Central:
Observe the rice flour-coat of the translucent mochi and the real strawberry seeds embedded in the ice cream.// posted by mc @ 11:54 PM 
Comments:
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Mmmmm! I love ice cream mochi! I haven't had any since I was in Tokyo. I totally want to get some when I come to see you in March (which is fast approaching, yay!). Do you know of any place that makes Japanese taiyaki? I have been hunting about the cities of North America with no luck so far, but it is my all time favorite Japanese dessert.
Your spring break is fast-approaching, Sparks! Can't wait...I did try to look up the existence of taiyaki in NYC today, however, it doesn't look too promising. Apparently there is a store that sells packaged taiyaki in NJ--this would involve taking some sort of bus ride out there (I'm not opposed to taking the bus, so we can discuss). There is another store, in Manhattan, that sells Japanese desserts for tea ceremonies...some people claim they sell taiyaki, but it seems unlikely, 'cause I don't think taiyaki is eaten for these ceremonies...we will have to see when you get here! But we can definitely get mochi ice cream and mochi with red or green bean paste here.
Hello E!
Thanks for stopping by. I will definitely try the green tea flavour the next time I get a chance.
Thanks for stopping by. I will definitely try the green tea flavour the next time I get a chance.
My fave is the mango. Green tea and strawbs round the bend pretty fast, though.
TJs sells them too but I think the asian markets beat them in price.
TJs sells them too but I think the asian markets beat them in price.
I think the best thing about mochi ice cream is that it is a texturally explicit experience. I have always loved my ice cream so hard I could chew it and here lies the best excuse to do so.
Have I said how I love the name of your site? well here I am saying it again.
Have I said how I love the name of your site? well here I am saying it again.
Monkey--
For all the things that Manhattan has, it is sorely missing a TJs. How I love TJs! But I've heard that one will be moving in, near Union Square...
Shuna--
I agree, experiencing mochi is explicit, on many levels. As for chewing ice cream, however, I must have the wimpiest, most temperature-sensitive teeth ever, for as much as love all things ice creamy, I have never been able to use my teeth (all lip and tongue action and no biting). It's unfortunate, because this technique limits mouthful volume...which brings me to the site name. Thanks! so glad you like it. The name is appropriate for me, since I often think about mouthful and portion size. I also loved the Hungry Hungry Hippo game as a child.
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For all the things that Manhattan has, it is sorely missing a TJs. How I love TJs! But I've heard that one will be moving in, near Union Square...
Shuna--
I agree, experiencing mochi is explicit, on many levels. As for chewing ice cream, however, I must have the wimpiest, most temperature-sensitive teeth ever, for as much as love all things ice creamy, I have never been able to use my teeth (all lip and tongue action and no biting). It's unfortunate, because this technique limits mouthful volume...which brings me to the site name. Thanks! so glad you like it. The name is appropriate for me, since I often think about mouthful and portion size. I also loved the Hungry Hungry Hippo game as a child.
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