Musings of A Mochi Maniac

From my very first bite of mochi, I was hooked. The first ones I’ve tried were from a pack of daifukumochi bought in Japan. It was my sister-in-law’s sister who gave them to me. Daifukumochi or simply daifuku is a Japanese confection made up of small balls of mochi [glutinous rice cake] stuffed with fruit, jam, or any sweet filling, most commonly anko or sweetened red bean paste made from azuki beans. But mine were in Japanese green tea flavor… Maccha Chocolate Daifuku, in fact. [I missed the brand for it was written in Japanese.]

What’s interesting about it was that the matcha filling were plentiful. Most daifuku are covered in a fine layer of corn or potato starch to keep them from sticking to each other or to the fingers. Some are covered with confectioner’s sugar or cocoa powder instead. But these were lightly dredged in powdered milk. The strong bitterness of green tea was present and the mochi part had the right amount of sweetness. As a whole, the balls were creamy, soft, and delightfully chewy. There was something that perplexed me, though. The flavor inscription on the box read “MACCHA CHOCOLATE”. I had no idea why it was labeled that when there was not a trickle nor bit of chocolate incorporated in it. It was all matcha. Weird.

Here in Manila, I turn to either the SM supermarkets or the Japanese groceries for my mochi/daifuku fix. SM carries Taiwanese brands of these delectable snacks. My favorite is Royal Family. This particular brand offers a variety of flavors such as taro, peanut, purple yam, black sesame, chocolate, red bean, matcha, strawberry, and chestnut. A 210 gram box of 6 costs between P94.75-P105, depending on the flavor.

I got this box of Royal Family Mochi Choco Balls in Strawberry [6 pieces] at the SM Hypermarket in Bicutan. It came at P108. This one had milk chocolate wrapping the [pink] mochi layer which then encased a marshmallow layer around the juicy strawberry core. How can I not love this? It had everything I like in one luscious little sphere. It was remarkably toothsome and addicting! This type of mochi, by the way, also comes in a smaller box of 4 which costs P54. But why settle for less, right?

Once, I chanced upon a 450 gram box of 15 in the pantry. It turned out that the big box of mochi I found were my mom’s. A friend of hers who came back home from Taiwan gave her that as pasalubong. Inside were 3 flavors: black sesame, peanut, and red bean. It came from Royal Family as well… the same Taiwanese brand I swear by. I was able to sample the three flavors and I enjoyed the red bean best. The outer part was exquisitely soft and chewy. The filling, generous and rich. It tasted fresh and it was not sickeningly sweet even though it was coated with confectioner’s sugar. Every time I remember that box, I am reminded of what a glutton I can be. I wonder if that assorted variant is available locally.

Making mochi is quite a laborious process. It is prepared by soaking short grain glutinous rice overnight, cooking it, and pounding it into a sticky paste. The paste is then molded into shapes which range from simple round buns to complex ornamental pastries, some of which are stuffed with lotus root or whatever filling. I’ve made a vow to never ever put to waste the efforts of all those who took their time to come up with these awesome treats and promised to show appreciation to their handicraft by devouring every inch of heavenly goodness — from the mochi itself, to the powder/sugar dusted on it, down to the traces of sweetness left on my fingers.

Just yesterday, I was craving for some mochi again so I went to check out the SM Hypermarket in Makati. To my dismay, there was no box of Royal Family green tea mochi there. The only matcha mochi available was that of another Taiwanese brand specializing in snack items, Bamboo House. Since I was left with no other choice, I grabbed the box just the same. I got it for P99.

It was refreshing to see a different print and packaging. I was so used to the Royal Family boxes that having this new box in my hands was kind of pleasurable for me. I’m a freak like that. LOL. As with the Royal Family matcha mochi, Bamboo House’s light green balls were coated with confectioner’s sugar. They tasted very fresh, with no toughness at all. They were pleasantly chewy and the filling haven’t been scrimped on. I would have preferred it more, though, if there was more bitterness to the matcha used. The green tea flavor was so subdued that the taste of the sugar and rice stood out more. Nevertheless, I was happy with it. I got my matcha fix, didn’t I?

I think of mochi/daifuku and I know I could go on and on. Whether with fruit, cream, jam, or some unusual filling, I’d finish them in one sitting. I couldn’t care less. I would eat them in whatever form they’d come in as. Mochi ice cream, mochi as confection, mochi soup, mochi dumpling, mochi waffle, mochi anything! I would even sleep on a bed of mochi, for all I care! That’s how my affinity with these amazing rice goodies have grown. Sometimes I daydream of going to Japan and/or Taiwan and hoarding all the precious mochi out there. And no, I’m not losing my mind. I just happen to be a mochi maniac… and I’m not ashamed of it.