There are a myriad of New Year’s traditions across the United States: black eyed peas, fireworks, Times Square ball drop (or pine cone drop if you’re in Flagstaff), and football. In Hawaii they have mochi.
I was first introduced to this Japanese tradition by my friends Karen and Adam Lauer. Karen’s family on the Big Island makes mochi in the traditional way (pounding the rice down to a paste, and then filling and shaping into a ball). It’s popular for Christmas and New Years, and Boys Day and Girls Day too. Clayton and I have had mochi before, both plain and filled with ice cream. We’ve had it as a topping, on frozen yogurt and snow ice. But we’ve never made it ourselves.
I decided that this year was the year. This year I was going to have mochi for New Years. I was originally going to buy some from Nisshodo Candy Store, but because the stuff is so popular in Hawaii right now I only got a busy signal when I called to reserve some. So I switched the plan and decided to try to make it myself. I opted for a version of mochi called “chi chi dango” because it is a non-filled dumpling version and, let’s be honest, has an awesome name. Of course, I’m cheating by buying the ingredients from the store instead of making the mochi fresh. But it’s a good start. I found a recipe online and decided to go for it.
The special ingredients you need are mochiko (glutinous rice flour) and katakuriko (potato starch). These are easy to find in our grocery stores, but may not be readily available on the mainland. I made the mochi on New Years Eve, let it cool completely overnight, then cut it today. I was shocked at how easy it was to make, and it’s really tasty too! Very sticky and soft. Yum!
