Mochi Making Journey

Learning How to Make Mochi at Home

Japanese mochi has long been a favorite treat of mine (Adrienne). My Japanese fascination, began in childhood with rented, albeit dubbed, episodes of Sailor Moon on laserdisc, but was really nurtured with lunch dates with my aunt at Kirala in Berkeley and family trips to Japantown in San Francisco which would culminate in a visit to Benkyodo, the local mochi shop. For a kid, Japantown itself did not hold that much interest but it was the returning home with a box full of that soft, fluffy, gooey chewy goodness that made you feel like something truly special happened that day.

In 2018, during our Around the World adventure my dream of seeing Japan came true, twice! Both times, we consumed more than our fair share of Japanese food, snacks, and yes, mochi. So now, during this unprecedented time of sheltering in place, we’ve finally decided to tackle this long revered tradition of mochi making – at home. Mochi is deceivingly simple with only 3 ingredients: rice (or rice flour), water, and sugar. What can go wrong when you make mochi from scratch? Find out as we test mochi recipes and find the ideal methods and ratios.