10 January 2009

Omochi

Tonight, at Koji's school, we had an "omochitsukitaikai". This is a kind of New Year's tradition in which sticky rice is pounded into rice cakes; if you want to get all the details, then read about it here

Here's Koji, pounding mochi.

Izumi and Aogu pounding mochi, or maybe Izumi is busier choking on mochi?!

I was sporting my brand new "announcement" shirt. Thanks, Mom!

Aogu and Izumi eating mochi; that is, Aogu ate enough for both of them and Izumi decided she didn't care for it much. That's my girl! I don't like it either...it's a texture thing.

Koji liked it fine though, and polished off three pieces of mochi filled with sweet red bean paste.

So the pictures up top are the traditional way to prepare mochi, but actually, you can make mochi in a breadmaker, and that's what the ladies in the kitchen did all night long. I usually like to help in the kitchen, but tonight I didn't set foot in there! Sorry, friends...I'll be the first one in there when we have a different menu...

So tonight's dinner was:
*mochi for Aogu and Koji, some with nori (thin sheets of dried seaweed) and some with sweet red bean paste
*more Costco pizza for me and the kids, because of course they had to eat again when we got home
*yogurt for the kids
*clementines for the kids
*chicken and rice soup from a can, doctored with some frozen spinach for me
*coconut cake with canned chocolate frosting for me; I've now decided that I don't like canned frosting. It can join mochi on my YUCK list.

2 comments:

JulieAnn said...

I love mochi pounding :) The red bean paste, however, is not for me. Have you tried mochi around icecream? That's some good stuff!

And has my sister not taught you anything? Canned frosting is not meant for cakes - it's meant to be scooped up by either Teddy Grahams (honey flavored) or by sticks of graham crackers ;)

Congratulations, by the way :)

Jamie Lives in Tokyo said...

hmm...not sure if even ice cream would be enough to induce me to put mochi in my mouth! people have tried to "tempt" me with that combo before and I've resisted.

as for the frosting, I stand humbly corrected, knowing the lesson you mention and wishing I hadn't forgotten. realize the only reason I have a can of frosting in the first place is b/c jen left it here with me when she moved!