10 Ways You Can Eat Mochi

When you think of the mochi, the first thing that comes to many minds, at least in the U.S., is probably the chewy sweet snack stuffed with filling or ice cream. But there are so many more ways to enjoy it.

Mochi is made from glutinous, short-grain rice, and to achieve its iconic texture, the rice is steamed and repeatedly smashed with traditional hammers or with the help of modern machinery. The pounding motion adds air bubbles to the dough, which creates its unique texture. As it’s heated up, it can transform into other textures.

Mochi is a traditional Japanese food, with origins in China and Southeast Asia, that can be eaten year-round, but is especially eaten in celebration of the New Year. There are many types of mochi ranging from traditional to more modern and fusion variations. Whether you’ve been eating it all your life, and curious to see if you’ve been missing out on something, or itching to try it for the first time, here’s your guide to some of the most popular ways to eat mochi.

One traditional way to prepare mochi is simply to grill or bake it. Typically, grilled or baked mochi is served with soy sauce and wrapped in seaweed (isobe-maki). Some other classic ways to eat it is with anko (sweet red bean paste) or with kinako (soy powder and sugar), but there are many variations.

Kakimochi is mochi that is thinly cut and then fried, which turns the soft mochi into a crispy rice cracker. Kakimochi can be eaten sweet or savory and topped with additional seasonings like natto, black sugar syrup, miso, ginger, grated daikon, ra-yuchile oil and togarashi red chile pepper, just to name a few.

Daifuku, which literally translates to "great luck," is a small, round mochi stuffed with sweetened red bean paste. Often served alongside green tea, the supple treats are usually covered with a layer of potato starch rice, flour or cornstarch to prevent them from sticking to each other. Daifuku tend to come in three varieties: pink, green and white. Green dango is typically flavored with matcha or mugfort. Pink dango is typically strawberry or sakura-flavored. White is usually plain. Another popular variety is Ichigo Daifuku — which is an iteration stuffed with a whole fresh strawberry.

Comprised of two layers of round mochi topped with a mandarin, kagami mochi is used as a Japanese New Year decoration. The ancient Japanese believed that the stacked mochi resembled a bronze mirror, which was considered a prized treasure. The belief was that by stacking such treasured items, one’s fortune would double in the upcoming year. Kagami mochi is typically decorated with lucky items such as Japanese decorative paper, strips of konbu, ferns and more. After the New Year, the decoration is removed from the family altar and broken by hand into smaller pieces before cooking in a soup or as a sweet red bean dessert soup. Eating mochi signifies good health and good fortune in the New Year.