NEW YEAR Mochi Pounding

So I attended the annual New Year mochi pounding demonstration at Japan Centre, Panton Street, for the very first time! The small event is to welcome the New Year, Japanese style with traditional mochi pounding and kagami biraki - breaking of the sake barrel to bring good luck and prosperity to all. Including free sake and some freshly pounded mochi for guests/customers to try, this event was free to attend! (I was not present for the kagami break as I arrived there too late during the day, so I have no photos of that part).

Tak Tokumine (Shoryu Ramen & Japan Centre CEO) introduces the mochi pounding live demonstration and tasting.

Mochi is Japanese rice cake made of mochigome (a short-grain japonica glutinous rice). The rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape. In Japan, it is traditionally made in a ceremony called mochitsuki. While also eaten year-round, mochi is a traditional food for the Japanese New Year and is commonly sold and eaten during that time.

 

Children try out pounding the mochi!

Traditionally, mochi was made from whole rice, in a labor-intensive process.

1. Polished glutinous rice is soaked overnight and steamed.
2. The steamed rice is mashed and pounded with wooden mallets in a traditional mortar (usu). The work involves two people, one pounding and the other turning and wetting the mochi. They must keep a steady rhythm or they may accidentally injure each other with the heavy mallets.
3. The sticky mass can be eaten immediately or formed into various shapes (usually a sphere or cube).

 

 One person pounds the mochi with a wooden mallet, whilst another will turn and wet the mochi.

They chant with each other to keep in rhyme whilst carrying out this dangerous activity.

Finally, the mochi is molded over a ball of red bean filling.

The mochi was fresh, chewy, sweet and warm! Probably the best mochi I have ever tasted as it was so fresh. The small demonstration was very interesting to watch, and fun to be a part of - Everyone there looked like they had fun too. I will definitely go again next year!