Mochi Day 2015 - Mochitsuki

Happy New Year! Yes, I realize it is January 23, 2016, but I'm behind schedule... and many of my resolutions are already broken (one being to blog more, of course! :)

Anyway, I use this blog to tell you about some recipes, but also to keep a diary of "stuff that happens." It's fun for me to go back through old posts and remember what I was doing when I made that batch of chocolate chip cookies. Nowadays, I'm mostly documenting the trivial and delicious on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, but I wanted to capture moments from our annual mochi making day.

My Japanese American family has been making mochi every year for over 40 years. It's a family tradition. Often, it's the only time I see some of my cousins! Here are some photos of the process... for you to see, and for me to remember! My friend JustJenn make a short instagram video too!

Happy New Year!

150 pounds of rice = 3000+ pieces of hand-formed mochi. Now we're ready for the New Year.

A photo posted by Jenn Fujikawa (@justjennrecipes) on Dec 27, 2015 at 3:32pm PST

Here we go: Our assembly line for making 150 pounds of mochi for Japanese New Year oshogatsu 🍡 @foodlibrarian Family Mochi Day 2015

A video posted by Jenn Fujikawa (@justjennrecipes) on Dec 27, 2015 at 11:04am PST

Here's a short video of the process. Imagine this going on all day...

Yeah, that's 15 bags of rice for me to wash the night before mochi day.


We always have a crazy big potluck lunch...I made some Spam musubi!


The first batch...

Steaming hot rice goes into a grinder and it gets extruded (it's super hot) and someone cuts off a piece. Then someone grabs that burning hot dough and puts it into a muffin tin. The muffin tin is definitely not traditional, but it helps us keep the size consistent, and it's easy for newbies to join in the process.


Why hello there...lovely mochi!

What happens to all these 3,000+ pieces of mochi? It's traditional to eat a piece of mochi in a special soup called ozoni on New Year's Day...you get lots of good luck and health and all that good stuff. So we divide up the mochi and many people deliver some to friends and family so they'll have mochi for new years. I like to toast mine in the toaster oven and eat with soy sauce and sugar, or kinako and sugar. (The mochi is not sweetened - this is plain, pounded rice mochi).


My friend Jun came with her family for the first time. Here is Sage enjoying fresh off the line mochi. He said, "oishii" (delicious)! Next year, he's going to help out!

How many people come to Mochi Day? I always thought it was about 40 people or so... this year we counted and there were 70 people! We have a bouncy castle in the front yard, mochi making on the deck, tons of food everywhere, two rooms for mochi cooling, one room for packing up the mochi, and, of course, a video game area for some of the kids! :) I have mochi in the freezer to eat throughout the year when the fun happens again.

Happy New Year!

Mochi Making 2013 - My Family's Annual Mochitsuki

Mochitsuki 2013

Making thousands of mochi for New Year's with my family and friends

On Saturday, it was time for my family's annual Mochi Making day! We thought they started this tradition in 1955, but my dad remembers it even earlier - sometime after they returned to the Los Angeles area after World War II (the family was interned in Jerome, Arkansas and Gila River, Arizona because they were Japanese American) so it was probably even before 1955. It is a long family tradition to make mochi for the New Year.

I've posted about our mochi day on the blog several times, and my friend JustJenn writes about joining us and then making all the yummy Japanese New Year's foods (along with some Southern California Japanese American classics). Here is a pictorial view of my family's mochi day that included many special friends and guests - including my friends from Connecticut who were adopted into the family immediately.

Mochitsuki making posts:  2012, 2011, 2010, 2008, 2007

130 pounds of rice. So much rice. It's a Koda Farm California special premium sweet rice that has beautiful large kernels. After soaking overnight, it is steamed and then placed in a grinder with extruder. The pounded rice that comes out is boiling hot.

After it comes out of the machine, a catcher quickly rolls it into a ball and places it on a tray. This year, we debuted a new system - Muffin Tins! This kept our mochi more consistent. Over the last few years, our mochi was spreading out too much, resulting in a too thin mochi. The muffin tins solve that problem! And yes, that was me at Target mid-day buying up all their tins.


Here is a quick little Instagram video of the process I made:

The mochi cool for a bit in the tray and then are placed on a table sprinkled with mochiko powder (rice flour). Yes, there are six tables (each 6 foot long) covered in plastic for this process...and it keeps repeating itself all day!

The cool mochi are gathered up and await packaging into boxes for delivery to friends and relatives.

Photos can't really detail how many hands you need for this operation. It's a full-on production line. We have a minimum of 20 people working a shift at a time - from kids to grandparents!

And what happens when we take a break? We eat!

There are two tables of savories. All Japanese American gatherings in Los Angeles have a boatload of Mexican food. We had two types of enchiladas, chili and tamales (that we cooked in the rice steamer - so fusion, no?) I made a ton of Spam Musubi - always a favorite. I'll post the recipe and details soon. My aunt makes a killer Chinese Chicken Salad and my cousins made awesome Kalbi BBQ beef. And then there was the Mac and Cheese, Chow Mein, Fried Chicken, Sushi, Sushi Rice with Toppings, another homemade chili, and much much more. You didn't go hungry!

But you have to save room for dessert too!

JustJenn's famous red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

Cousin Emily's homemade cookies

Auntie Linda's delicious cookie tray

We picked up some sweetened mochi from Fugetsu-do Japanese confectionery store

JustJenn also made a delicious Jello treat

...and we also had some lovely 7 layer Jello too!

The day is long. The preparation is exhausting (my cousin and I need to clear out three rooms of the house), but continuing a tradition to the fourth generation of our family is awesome.

Happy New Year to you and your family! May you have a wonderful 2014 filled with happiness, family and friends!


Note: The mochi we made is NOT sweet mochi - it is a savory, plain mochi mostly used in a special new years soup (ozoni) or toasted and eaten with soy sauce, sugar or soybean powder (kinako).

However, lots of people end up at this post looking for more sweet mochi dishes, so here are a few I've made on the blog:

Dessert mochi treats (gluten free!):
Sweet Mochi with Red Bean Filling (pictured)
Blueberry Mochi Cake
Chocolate Mochi Brownie Squares
Zunda Mochi
Cherry Mochi Cakes
Matcha Mochi Cupcakes


Also, be sure to buy JustJenn's cookbook: Mochi: Recipes from Savory to Sweet! Vol. 1 for more recipes and ideas!

Mochitsuki 2012 - Mochi Making with the Family for New Years

As we've done since before I was born, my family and friends came together on the Saturday before New Years Day to make mochi - a Japanese pounded rice patties used on New Year's day to give you good luck, longevity, good times, and a shot at George Clooney (what? that's not the promise of mochi? Hmmm...)

As I've described in posts from 2011, 2010, 2008, 2007, my family gets together annually to make hella mochi. Hella.

This year we cooked 200 pounds of rice. Yes, that is 20 bags of rice. Luckily, my friend Rosie was on winter break from Johnson & Wales. She washed all 200 pounds of rice! She's starting to look Asian now, huh? :)

We woke up to RAIN. What? This is Los Angeles! We haven't had rain on mochi day for years so we were pretty disappointed. The annual bouncy house had to be cancelled - so sad because you can get a good workout in the bouncy house (if you are in Los Angeles, try Planet Bouncy - Owner Sergei is a UCLA Bruin and they did a great job last year).

But is pouring rain going to stop a bunch of Japanese Americans with determination? No. We put up some pop tents and rain jackets. Above, my cousin, brother and cousin-in-law make mochi (this process is repeated for about 6 hours). Hot rice goes into the grinder and gets extruded. The mochi is cut off, and then handed to the catcher who rolls it into a round shape before placing the hot mochi onto a full-sheet pan.

This year I set up a Mochi Tasting Table. I saw it at a church function and thought it was a great way to introduce people to the different ways you can eat mochi...however, everyone just stuck with the standards: shoyu (soy sauce), sugar and kinako. We had: nori (seaweed), ponzu sauce (wasn't even opened), shoyu (soy sauce - light salt (next year, I need to have both the "red" and "green" bottle because some like the full sodium effect), kinako (roasted soybean flour & sugar), grated daikon radish, wasabi paste, and natto (fermented soybeans). Natto is a crazy very acquired taste - I find it gross, but one person did eat their mochi with it! Somehow, there is a Diet Coke in my photo...ignore that.

Mochi, mochi, mochi...

We ate and ate and ate - this is only a few of dishes. In the upper left hand corner is Spam Musubi...I'll have a post (and giveaway) soon. Someone "new" to mochi making (we always get a few new friends each year) brought Beer Can Chicken...they are totally invited back. My cousin grilled Korean BBQ at 8 am, in the rain, before coming over. That's dedication.

There are pans and pans of mochi by the end of the day. We pack it up and most people deliver it to friends so they can have fresh mochi on New Year's morning.

Although the house is covered with mochiko flour and I'm exhausted by the end of the day, it is so worth it to see lots of relatives and friends. And since we had rain this year, I think we're guaranteed clear skies for the next ten years.

Check out my friend JustJenn's post about the day! She has a lot more "process" photos so if you are interested to each step, check it out.

Happy New Year! Next up... I go to Jenn's house for a New Year's feast (with mochi, of course!)

- mary the food librarian

Related mochi posts:
Fmaily Mochi making: 2011, 2010, 2008, 2007
Sweet mochi with red beans
Chocolate Brownie mochi
Zunda mochi
Blueberry Mochi cake

Mochi Mochi Mochi - Mochitsuki 2011

It's that time again! My family and friends got together on December 26th for our annual mochi making day!

These unsweetened rice cakes are eaten on New Year's Day in a special soup called ozoni to bring about good fortune and health and all that jazz. Our family has been getting together since 1955 to make mochi. We have two electric machines and a bunch of gas steamers to cook the special Koda Farms Sho-Chiku-Bai sweet rice (old school method is with a pound it by hand with a mallet.)

I think this year was a record - 190 pounds of rice! That took about three hours alone just to wash and soak on Christmas day (thanks Mom for doing that!)

Rice is steamed in steamers then poured into the machine. It comes out piping hot! Little bits are cut off and shaped into rounds. They are cooled on racks and then dusted with mochiko (rice flour).

All hands on deck for mochi making! Often, this is the one time a year we see some of our aunts, uncles, cousins and their growing children so it is a very important tradition for my family. And, of course, we have a bouncy house...just like our ancestors had I'm sure...

Um, we had two food tables and one salad table...making mochi definitely stirs the appetite!

Yum! Yum! Yum!

And this year lots of my friends dropped by!

We can't forget the desserts too! My auntie made this delicious cookie tray, JustJenn brought delicious and cute cupcakes and my cousin made these fried cookies.

Days later, my cousin and I are still cleaning the house and putting back things (we need to clear out three rooms of the house for mochi day). Of course, the benefit is that I'm eating fresh toasted mochi every day!

Looking forward to joining JustJenn's family for her annual New Year's feast...featuring our mochi for the ozoni soup! :)

Happy New Year everyone! 2012 is going to ROCK! - mary the food librarian

Other mochi-related posts: 2010, 2008, 2007 family event, sweet mochi with red beans, zunda mochi from sendai, blueberry mochi cake.

Mochi Making (Mochitsuki) 2010

On Sunday, December 26th, family and friends came over to continue our 50+ year tradition of making mochi or mochitsuki. I was talking to my dad and he said one of our mochi machines is over 50 years old. He was trying to figure out the timeline based on his service in the Air Force during the Korean War. Yeah...let's just say my family has been doing this forever.

Mochi making starts with washing the rice. My mom washed 150 pounds of the special sweet mochigome rice from Koda Farms (that is 15 bags of rice!!!). It soaks overnight, then small batches are placed in steamers. Yes, we've taken the gas line from the dryer in the garage to make these outdoor steamers.

The hot rice is placed in the mochi machine. It's ground up and comes out piping hot!

Each mochi is cut off the machine and handed to the catcher who forms it into a ball and places it onto a full sheet tray (photo on right). Friends and first time mochi makers Alison and Nicole! They were awesome!

After sitting on a cooling rack for a bit, the mochi get transferred to tables covered in mochiko flour. Then they go off and get packed up. This goes on for HOURS. Serious...we start about 9 am and end around 2 pm.

The mochi packaging "store". We make packages for family and friends. After mochi making, the Mochi Express delivery process begins. We deliver most of it by car, but also vacuum seal some and ship it off to relatives in Vermont!

Food. Food. Food. We had the typical Japanese American potluck...some sushi, rice dishes and lots of Mexican. :) See the Mochi Factory Gingerbread house? JustJenn made it and you can read the post here. I made a few food items and will be posting them soon!

The Japanese have been making mochi since them ancient Japan years. I'm sure the Samurai Warriors had a bouncy house too, no? Since we have lots of kids coming, the bouncy house is awesome.

Oh yeah, not just kids end up in the bouncy house! :)

Finally, this was Cidney the Dog's first mochitsuki too! She was so excited to meet everyone and was very good. However, when everyone left, she whined for a few seconds, "Where did the party people go?!"...and then crashed out. Mochi making is exhausting!

A friend of the family came for the first time and said, "My best friend is Japanese American, my husband works for a Japanese company...and I've never heard of anyone doing this." Yeah, that's pretty much true! Some families may make very small batches, but most Japanese and Japanese Americans will buy mochi from the store. Our family is kinda crazy making 150 pounds of mochi. Ha ha. However, it's sometimes the only time I see my cousins and their kids all year...so I'm glad we have this tradition!

Happy New Year everyone! I'm looking forward to heading over to JustJenn's New Year celebration where she makes all the traditional Japanese New Year's food and puts a toasted mochi in a bowl of special soup called ozoni...bringing you luck and good health in the new year.

Links: JustJenn's recap of my family's mochi making

Mom's Apple Cake Bundt - Day #11 - I Like Big Bundts

Day 11 of I Like Big Bundts: 30 Days of Bundt Cakes
My Mom's Apple Cake Bundt

My mom doesn't...um.
Let me start over.
I love my mom.
Let's get the affirmation out first!

My mom doesn't bake. I don't remember her baking much of anything growing up. Except Banquet Frozen Fried Chicken - oh dear, my brother and I thought that was such a hot damn TREAT. I can't even imagine how much saturated fat that has...but I digress.

I thought it would fitting to do a "I remember this as a kid" Bundt entry. You know, rev up the nostalgia (or figure out where this Bundt obsession came from).

But I couldn't find anything in the memory bank. I don't think our family owned a Bundt pan. The only things I remember my mom making were: Okinawan dango (donuts), Finger Jello, Libby's Pumpkin Pie with frozen pie crust, and Apple Cake.

So, cue the sappy family history music, bring out the black and white photos, and image the Food Librarian's Mom making apple cake....that I'm now adapting into a Bundt!

Thanks to my friend JustJenn of JustJennDesigns for making the logo!

Join me as I make 30 Bundts all leading up to National Bundt Day on November 15th! Spread the joy of Bundts!

Usually, my mom makes her apple cake in a 9 x 13 pan. I halved the recipe and baked it in this cute 6-cup Bundt. It is the middle-bear of the Goldilocks of Bundts. I also diced the apples instead of slicing them thin. This is what the 9 x 13 pan looks like - snack cake style.

This recipe is dairy-free! Whoo hoo! And tastes like FALL. For us in Los Angeles, you have to eat fall since our leaves don't change, and like today, it's hot!

Why do Bundts rock this world? The beautiful use of powdered sugar. So pretty, elegant and easy.

Beth of Exploring with Beth made Day #3 Pumpkin Apple Spice Bundt! Check it out here...she's a talented baker who is also making her own vanilla - how cool!

See you back here tomorrow for another Bundt! - mary the food librarian

My Mom's Apple Cake Bundt
Since this is 6-cup Bundt, I halved the recipe. Click here for the full recipe (for a regular size Bundt or 9 x 13 pan)

1 egg
1/2 c + 2 Tablespoons veggie oil
1/2 c sugar
1 t vanilla

Sift or whisk together in a separate bowl:
1 c flour, dash of salt, 1 t cinnamon, 1/2 t baking soda

2 large green apples (I used granny smith apples)
1/2 c walnuts (optional)

1. Peel and dice the apples. For this Bundt, I diced them. When I make it in a 9 x 13 pan, I slice them.
2. You can mix this all by hand. No KitchenAid needed. And if you want to be like my mom, make it is a green Tupperware bowl.
3. Beat eggs with oil with a whisk until foamy. Then add sugar, vanilla, and sifted dry ingredients. Fold in apples and walnuts.
4. Um. I don't know how long I baked it. Oops. It was at 350 degrees and I started checking at 30 minutes. When a wooden skewer or toothpick comes out clean, it's done. The regular 9 x 13 version bakes for 45 minutes.

Recipe:
My Mom's Apple Cake for the 9 x 13 pan

I Like Big Bundts recap:
The Food Librarian confesses: I Like Big Bundts
Day 1: Pumpkin Spice Bundt with Buttermilk Icing
Day 2: Chocolate-Cinnamon Bundt Cake with Mocha Icing
Day 3: Pumpkin-Apple Spiced Bundt
Day 4: Cinnamon Ripple Sweet Potato Bundt
Day 5: Chocolate Zucchini Bundt
Day 6: Cardamom Vanilla Bundt
Day 7: Monkey Bread in a Bundt
Day 8: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt
Day 9: Coconut Bundt
Day 10: Sweet Potato Bundt