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Mochi ( ; Japanese ) is a Japanese rice cake made of mochigome, a short-grain Japonica rice 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. 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 made up of , Clofibrate, protein, and water. Mochi has a varied structure of amylopectin gel, starch grains, and air bubbles. In terms of starch content, the rice used for mochi is very low in amylose and has a high amylopectin level, producing a gel-like consistency. The protein content of the japonica rice used to make mochi is higher than that of standard short-grain rice.
Mochi is similar to , which is made with rice flour instead of pounded rice grains.
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Kotobank Mochi. The Asahi Shimbun. 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.
In the , 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. History of mochi. Zenkoku Mochi Kogyo Kyodo Kumiai
In the Heian period (794–1185), mochi was often used in Shinto events to celebrate childbirth and marriage. According to the compiled in the 12th century, emperors and nobilities used to put mochi into the mouths of babies that were 50 days old. In this period, it became customary in aristocratic society for the bride and groom to eat mochi together at the bride's house three days after the wedding.
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Kotobank Mikayonomochii. The Asahi Shimbun.
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.
The custom of (mirror mochi) began among the samurai class during the Muromachi period. are composed of two spheres of mochi stacked on top of one another, topped with a bitter orange (). In welcoming the New Year, samurai decorated with Japanese armor and Japanese swords and would place them in the (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 after the New Year period, they avoided cutting it with a (knife) so as not to violate the , and smashed it with a wooden hammer after it naturally dried and cracked.
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Kagami mochi FAQ. Maeharaseifun Corporation.
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 is placed on family altars () on December 28 each year.
is a variation of a wrapped in bamboo leaves.
is a ceremonial dessert presented as a ritual offering on the days leading up to , or "Girls' Day" in Japan, on March 3 every year. is rhomboid-shaped mochi with layers of red, green, and white. The three layers are colored with [[jasmine]] flowers, [[water caltrop]], and [[mugwort]].
With modern equipment, mochi can be made at home, with the technology automating the laborious dough pounding. 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:
Varieties of glutinous and waxy rice are produced as major raw materials for mochi. The rice is chosen for its tensile strength and compressibility. One study found that in rice 172 and BC3, amylopectin distribution varied and affected the hardness of mochi. rice produced harder, brittle, grainy textures, all undesirable qualities except for ease of cutting. 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 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 was unsuitable for dough preparation.
Other ingredients may include water, sugar, and cornstarch (to prevent sticking). Additional other ingredients can be added to create different variations/flavors.
A single serving of has 96 calories (kilocalories), of fat, but no trans or saturated fat, of sodium, of carbohydrates, no dietary fiber, of sugar, and of protein.
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. 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. The gelation and viscous texture of glutinous rice is due to amylopectin being more hygroscopic 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. In other words, the higher the amylopectin content, the higher the swelling of the starch granule.
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.
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. 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. The table below summarizes the amylose and amylopectin content of different starches, waxy and nonwaxy:
The soaking of the glutinous rice is an elemental step in the preparation of mochi, either traditionally or industrially. During this process, glutinous rice decreases in protein content as it is soaked in water. The chemicals that make up the flavour of plain or "natural" mochi are ethyl acetate, ethanol, 2-butanol, Isobutanol, 1-butanol, isoamyl alcohol, 1-pentanol and propane acid.
Mochi is usually composed solely of glutinous rice, however, some variations may include the additions of salt, spices and flavorings such as cinnamon (cinnamaldehyde). Food additives such as sucrose, sorbitol or glycerol may be added to increase viscosity and therefore increase gelatinization. Additives that slow down retrogradation are not usually added since mochi has a very stable shelf life due to its high amylopectin content.
Many tests have been conducted on the factors that affect the viscoelastic properties of mochi. As puncture tests show, samples with a higher solid (polysaccharide) content show an increased resistance and, thereby, a stronger and tougher gel. This increased resistance to the puncture test indicates that an increase in solute concentration leads to a more rigid and harder gel with an increased cohesiveness, internal binding, elasticity and springiness, which means a decrease in material flow or an increase in viscosity. These results can also be brought about by an increase in heating time.
Sensory assessments of the hardness, stickiness and elasticity of mochi and their relationship with solute concentration and heating time were performed. Similar to the puncture test results, sensory tests determine that hardness and elasticity increase with increasing time of heating and solid concentration. However, the stickiness of the samples increases with increasing time of heating and solid concentration until a certain level, above which the reverse is observed.
These relationships are important because too hard or elastic a mochi is undesirable, as is one that is too sticky and will stick to the walls of the container.
is a green variety of mochi flavored with mugwort (). When is made with , it is called .
In China, is made from glutinous rice flour mixed with a small amount of water to form balls and is then cooked and served in boiling water. is typically filled with black sesame paste or peanut paste and served in the water that it was boiled in.
In Hong Kong and other Cantonese regions, the traditional (j=no6 mai5 ci4) is made of glutinous rice flour in the shape of a ball, with fillings such as crushed peanuts, coconut, red bean paste, and black sesame paste. It can come in a variety of modern flavors, such as green tea, mango, taro, strawberry, and more. In Philippines, a traditional Filipino sweet snack similar to Japanese mochi is called Nian gao]] (poj=tiⁿ-kóe). There is also another delicacy called espasol with a taste similar to Japanese , though made with roasted rice flour (not , roasted soy flour). The Philippines also has several steamed rice snacks with very similar names to mochi, including moche, mache, and masi. These are small steamed rice balls with bean paste or peanut fillings. However, they are not derived from the Japanese mochi but are derivatives of the Chinese (called buchi in the Philippines). They are also made with the native galapong process, which mixes ground, slightly fermented cooked glutinous rice with coconut milk.
In Korea, (Hangul: 찹쌀떡) varieties are made of steamed glutinous rice or steamed glutinous rice flour.
In Indonesia, kue moci is usually filled with sweet bean paste and covered with sesame seeds. Kue moci comes from Sukabumi, West Java and Semarang, Central Java. Another Indonesian mochi is yangko, a Yogyakarta mochi made from glutinuous rice. In Pontianak, mochi is covered with ground peanut powder and the dish named kaloci.
In Malaysia, kuih kochi is made from glutinous rice flour and filled with coconut filling and palm sugar. Another Chinese Malaysian variant, loh mai chi is made with the same ingredients, but their fillings are filled with crushed peanuts. There is also , which has similar ingredients and texture to mochi but the size is larger. The snack is quite popular in the east coast of Malaysia.
In Singapore, muah chee is made from glutinous rice flour and is usually coated with either crushed peanuts or black sesame seeds.
In Hawaii, a dessert variety called "butter mochi" is made with mochiko, butter, sugar, coconut, and other ingredients and then baked to make a sponge cake of sorts.
Similar foods in other countries:
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