Kagami biraki

One of the many preparations for New Years in Japan is the displaying of kagami mochi, which was traditionally two round slabs of mochi (rice cake) placed on an altar. As homes grew warmer in Japan, the mochi tended to get moldy instead of drying out, and at the same time fewer and fewer people bother to make their own mochi. So now lots of people buy pre-formed kagami mochi conveniently encased in plastic. Kagami mochi is meant to sit on a wooden altar, be topped with a daidai (a small, sour member of the citrus family) and be strewn with a variety of auspicious decorations. These days most people make do with a regular old mikan (mandarin) and the plastic kagami mochi usually includes as few decorations and a cardboard altar. Our kagami mochi, shown above, is fairly typical (except that it's mixed up with Christmas decorations, which are normally taken down as soon as Christmas is over-- often on Christmas Day itself).

The kagami mochi is displayed until January 11th, which is the day for kagami biraki: the cutting of the mochi.  It is then eaten, often in oshiruko (a sweet soup made with adzuki beans). My boss, Mrs. K, makes excellent oshiruko and this year gave me  a little to take home, so after cutting up our mochi we had the oshiruko along with the isobe yaki (grilled mochi wrapped in a sheet of nori seaweed) I'd been planning.

Nothing is easier to make than isobe yaki. Just grill the mochi in the toaster oven (watch it carefully though, as it's liable to suddenly puff up and it will burn if you don't smoosh it back down) until soft all the way through, dip it in soy sauce, and lay it on a piece of nori. Mochi happens to go very nicely with cheese, so as a special treat add a slice of cheese to the mochi when it's almost finished cooking; as soon as it melts you can proceed.

Comments

[Lea]

I've never been able to toast mochi! Seems every attempt I've made it does as you say, and poofs up and almost melts like a marshmallow!

[Tess]

Whole Foods sells mochi that's flavored with cinnamon and sugar. Husband and daughter both like it, but I don't have a sweet tooth. Cheese, now, I could go for that!

[Jen]

We do a kagami biraki ceremony at work, but we're not allowed to cut it (bad luck) so we get to hit it with mallets. Pretty fun!

[baboo]

wot dis SMOOSH...dont git zis here, no?
---------------------------------

Also, Beans, chile without music is like lacrosse without ambulances; like, what's the point, ay?

babster

[Amy]

Lea, here's a hint (that I should have mentioned in the post): if you dip it in soy sauce on both sides BEFORE toasting it it won't puff up and will be less likely to stick to the grill. Another trick (although you won't get the same grilled flavour) is to put it on a microwave save plate, rinse the whole think and drain most of the water, and microwave briefly. The timing varies but is less than a minute and you really have to watch it. It won't puff up so much as melt all over the place, but melted mochi is much better than charred mochi!

Cinammon sugar mochi? That sounds really good! I'm usually like you though and prefer it savoury. Do try it with cheese!

Jen, that's the proper traditional way, but it only works with the traditional mochi, which will have dried out. The stuff covered in plastic doesn't dry out so it can't be shattered, so we have to risk the bad luck and cut it with a knife.

Baboo, Hideaki would beg to differ with you on that, since he's the one who has to live with me.