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Mochi

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For other uses, see Mochi (disambiguation).
Rice cake kirimochi or kakumochi
Rice cake marumochi
Fresh mochi being pounded

Mochi (もち, 餅), [motɕi] ⓘ is a Japanese rice cake made of mochigome (もち米), a short-grain japonica glutinous rice, and sometimes other ingredients such as water, sugar, and cornstarch. The steamed rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape. In Japan, it is traditionally made in a ceremony called mochitsuki (餅搗き).[1] While eaten year-round, mochi is a traditional food for the Japanese New Year, and is commonly sold and eaten during that time.

Mochi is a multicomponent food consisting of polysaccharides, lipids, protein, and water. Mochi has a heterogeneous structure of amylopectin gel, starch grains, and air bubbles.[2] The rice used for mochi has a negligible amylose content and a high amylopectin level, producing a gel-like consistency.[3] The protein content of the japonica rice used to make mochi is higher than that of standard short-grain rice.

Mochi is similar to dango, which is made with rice flour instead of pounded rice grains.[4]

History

Red rice was the original variant used in the production of mochi.[5] The cultural significance of mochi in Japan is unique, though it has elements in common with other auspicious foods in other Asian countries.[6] According to archaeological research, the homemade production of mochi increased beginning in the 6th century (Kofun period), when earthenware steamers became popular in every household, mainly in eastern Japan.[7]: 267 

In the Bungo no kuni fudoki, compiled in the late 8th century in the Nara period, a legend concerning mochi was described. According to the book, when a rich man made a flat mochi from leftover rice and shot an arrow at it, the mochi transformed into a white bird and flew away, and after that, the man's rice field became desolate and barren. This legend shows that round white mochi was historically held to have spiritual power.[8]

In the Heian period (794–1185), mochi was often used in Shinto events to celebrate childbirth and marriage. According to the Ōkagami compiled in the 12th century, emperors and nobilities used to put mochi into the mouths of babies that were 50 days old.[9]: 30  In this period, it became customary in the aristocratic society for the bride and groom to eat mochi together at the bride's house three days after the wedding.[10]

The first recorded accounts of mochi being used as a part of New Year's festivities are from the Heian period. The nobles of the Imperial court believed that long strands of freshly made mochi symbolized long life and well-being, while dried mochi helped strengthen one's teeth. Accounts of it can also be found in The Tale of Genji.[11]

The custom of kagami mochi (mirror mochi) began among the samurai class during the Muromachi period. Kagami mochi are composed of two spheres of mochi stacked on top of one another, topped with a bitter orange (daidai). In welcoming the New Year, samurai decorated kagami mochi with Japanese armour and Japanese swords and would place them in the tokonoma (alcove in a traditional Japanese room where art or flowers are displayed) to pray for the prosperity of their families in the New Year. When people ate kagami mochi after the New Year period, they avoided cutting it with a hōchō (knife) so as not to violate the kami, and smashed it with a wooden hammer after it naturally dried and cracked.[12]

Mochi continues to be one of the traditional foods eaten around Japanese New Year and is sold and consumed in abundance around this time. A kagami mochi is placed on family altars (kamidana) on December 28 each year.[13]

Seasonal specialties

Seasonal specialties. Clockwise from upper left: kagami mochi, sakuramochi wrapped in pickled cherry blossom (sakura) leaf, Girls' Day hishi mochi, kashiwa mochi.

New Year

  • Kagami mochi is a New Year's decoration, which is traditionally broken and eaten in a ritual called kagami biraki (mirror opening) and placed on family altars on December 28.
  • Zōni is a soup containing rice cakes. It is also eaten on New Year's Day. In addition to mochi, zōni contains vegetables such as taro, carrot, honeywort, and red and white colored kamaboko.
  • Kinako mochi is traditionally made on New Year's Day as an emblem of luck. This style of mochi preparation involves roasting the mochi over a fire or stove, then dipping it into water, and finally coating it with sugar and kinako (soy flour).[14]

Spring

The cherry blossom (sakura) is a symbol of Japan and signifies the onset of full-fledged spring. Sakuramochi is a pink-coloured mochi surrounding sweet red bean paste and wrapped in an edible, salted cherry blossom leaf; this dish is usually made during the spring.[15]

Children's Day

Children's Day is celebrated in Japan on May 5. On this day, the Japanese promote the happiness and well-being of children. Kashiwa-mochi and chimaki are made especially for this celebration.[15] Kashiwa-mochi is white mochi surrounding a sweet red bean paste filling with a kashiwa oak leaf wrapped around it.[15] Chimaki is a variation of a dango wrapped in bamboo leaves.[15]

Girls' Day

Hishi mochi is a ceremonial dessert presented as a ritual offering on the days leading up to Hinamatsuri, or "Girls' Day" in Japan, on March 3 every year. Hishi mochi is rhomboid-shaped mochi with layers of red, green, and white. The three layers are coloured with jasmine flowers, water caltrop, and mugwort.[16]

Traditional preparation

Steamed rice in a stone mortar being mashed with a wooden kine (pestle) during mochitsuki

Traditionally, mochi making is an important cultural event in Japan that involves members of a local community or family. Although less common today, the traditional process still exists in most rural areas, as well as in urban temples, shrines, and community spaces, especially in the days leading up to the new year.[17][18] The traditional process of mochi-pounding (called mochitsuki (餅つき)) involves whole rice as the only ingredient and takes place in three basic steps:

  1. Polished glutinous rice is soaked overnight and steamed.
  2. The steamed rice is mashed and pounded with wooden mallets (kine) in a traditional mortar (usu).[19] The work involves two people, one pounding and the other turning and wetting the mochi.[20] They must keep a steady rhythm or they may accidentally injure each other with the heavy kine.
  3. The sticky mass is cut or formed into shapes, for example spheres.[20]

Modern preparation

Cooked rice being automatically tumbled in a modern household machine
Making mochi with modern equipment

The modern preparation of mochi uses a sweet flour of sweet rice (mochiko). The flour is mixed with water and cooked on a stovetop or in the microwave until it forms a sticky, opaque, white mass.[21] This process is performed twice, stirring the mass in between[22] until it becomes malleable and slightly transparent.[23]

With modern equipment, mochi can be made at home, with the technology automating the laborious dough pounding.[22] Household mochi appliances provide a suitable space where the environment of the dough can be controlled.

The assembly-line sections in mochi production control these aspects:

  1. Viscoelasticity or the products' chewiness by selecting specific species of rice
  2. Consistency of the dough during automated pounding process
  3. Size
  4. Flavourings and fillings

Varieties of glutinous and waxy rice are produced as major raw material for mochi. The rice is chosen for tensile strength and compressibility. One study found that in kantomochi rice 172 and BC3, amylopectin distribution varied and affected the hardness of mochi. Kantomochi rice produced harder, brittle, grainy textures, all undesirable qualities except for ease of cutting.[24] For mass production, the rice variety should be chewy, but easy to separate.

Generally, two types of machines are used for mochi production in an assembly line. One machine prepares the dough, while the other forms the dough into consistent shapes, unfilled or with filling. The first type of machine controls the temperature at which the rice gelatinizes. One study found that a temperature of 62 °C (144 °F) corresponds to the gelatinization of mochi. When the temperature fell below this point, the hardening was too slow. It was concluded that a processing temperature below 62 °C (144 °F) was unsuitable for dough preparation.[25]

Processing

Mochi is a variation of a low-calorie, low-fat rice cake. The cake has two essential raw materials, rice and water. Sticky rice (also called sweet rice, Oryza sativa var. glutinosa, glutinous sticky rice, glutinous rice, waxy rice, botan rice, biroin chal, mochi rice, pearl rice, and pulut),[26] whether brown or white, is best for mochi-making, as long-grain varieties will not expand perfectly. Water is essential in the early stages of preparation. Other additives such as salt and other seasonings and flavourings are important for nutritive value and taste. However, additives can cause breakage of the mass, so should not be added to the rice before the cake is formed. The cake must be steamed (rather than boiled) until it gains a smooth and elastic texture. The balls of rice are then flattened and cut into pieces or shaped into rounds.[20] The machines for mass production are a hugely expensive investment, and the product should have the proper moisture, to appeal to consumers.[citation needed]

Preservation

While mochi can be refrigerated for a short storage period,[27] it can also "become hard and not usable."[28] The recommended preservation method is by freezing. The best method for freezing involves wrapping each mochi cake tightly in a sealed plastic bag. Although mochi can be kept in a freezer for almost one year, the frozen mochi may lose flavor and softness or get freezer-burned.[27] Food additives, such as modified tapioca starch, can also extend the shelf life of mochi.[29]

Ingredients

Mochi is relatively simple to make, as only a few ingredients are needed for plain mochi. The main ingredient is either shiratamako or mochiko, Japanese sweet glutinous rice flours. Both shiratamako and mochiko are made from mochigome, a type of glutinous short-grain rice. The difference between shiratamako and mochiko comes from texture and processing methods. Shiratamako flour has been more refined and is a finer flour with a smoother, more elastic feel.[30] Mochiko is less refined and has a doughier texture.

Other ingredients may include water, sugar, and cornstarch (to prevent sticking).[31] Additional other ingredients can be added to create different variations/flavors.[citation needed]

Nutrition

Nutritional facts table for mochi

The caloric content of a matchbox-sized piece of mochi is comparable to that of a bowl of rice. Japanese farmers were known to consume mochi during the winter to increase their stamina, while samurai took mochi on their expeditions, as it was easy to carry and prepare.[citation needed] Mochi is gluten- and cholesterol-free, as it is made from rice flour.

A single serving of 44.0 g (1.55 oz) has 96 calories (kilocalories), 1.0 g (0.035 oz) of fat, but no trans or saturated fat, 1.0 mg (0.015 gr) of sodium, 22.0 g (0.78 oz) of carbohydrates, no dietary fiber, 6.0 g (0.21 oz) of sugar, and 1.0 g (0.035 oz) of protein.[32]

Chemistry and structural composition of glutinous rice

The structure of amylose with alpha 1-4 glycosidic bonds
The structure of amylopectin with alpha 1-4 and alpha 1-6 glycosidic bonds

Amylose and amylopectin are both components of starch and polysaccharides made from D-glucose units. The big difference between the two is that amylose is linear because it only has αlpha-1,4-glycosidic bonds. Amylopectin, though, is a branched polysaccharide because it has αlpha-1,4-glycosidic bonds with occasional αlpha-1,6-glycosidic bonds[33] around every 22 D-glucose units.[34] Glutinous rice is nearly 100%[35] composed of amylopectin and almost completely lacks its counterpart, amylose, in its starch granules. A nonglutinous rice grain contains amylose at about 10–30% weight by weight and amylopectin at about 70–90% weight by weight.[33]

Glutinous or waxy type of starches occur in maize, sorghum, wheat, and rice. An interesting characteristic of glutinous rice is that it stains red when iodine is added, whereas nonglutinous rice stains blue.[35] This phenomenon occurs when iodine is mixed with iodide to form tri-iodide and penta-iodide. Penta-iodide intercalates between the starch molecules and stains amylose and amylopectin blue and red, respectively.[36] The gelation and viscous texture of glutinous rice is due to amylopectin being more hygroscopic[37] than amylose, thus water enters the starch granule, causing it to swell, while the amylose leaves the starch granule and becomes part of a colloidal solution.[38] In other words, the higher the amylopectin content, the higher the swelling of the starch granule.[39]

Though the amylopectin content plays a major role in the defined characteristic of viscosity in glutinous rice, factors such as heat also play a very important role in the swelling, since it enhances the uptake of water into the starch granule significantly. [40]

The high amylopectin content of waxy or glutinous starches is genetically controlled by the waxy or wax gene. Its quality of greater viscosity and gelation is dependent on the distribution of the amylopectin unit chains.[33] Grains that have this gene are considered mutants, which explains why most of them are selectively bred to create a grain that is close to having or has a 0% amylose content.[35] The table below summarizes the amylose and amylopectin content of different starches, waxy and nonwaxy:

Proportion of Amylose and Amylopectin in various starch sources[41]
Starch Amylose % Amylopectin %
Potato 20 80
Sweet potato 18 82
Arrowroot 21 79
Tapioca 17 83
Corn (maize) 28 72
Waxy maize 0 100
Wheat 26
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