Mochi

Clockwise from bottom: Chestnut mochi, black sesame seed mochi with an filling, pink (?) mochi with an filling, toasted sesame seed mochi with an filling, and grass mochi

My father in law just arrived from Japan. He brought me a gift. A box of mochi filled with an. What exactly is mochi and what on earth is an, you might ask? I'm going to tell you. Mochi and an although common to other cultures such as that of the Chinese, are hallmarks of Japanese snackiness. Mochi is pounded glutinous rice. They pound it and process it until it becomes very much like glue. Then it is shaped into little patties. Mochi doesn't have much flavor besides sweet, with a texture like a very soft gooey gummi bear. These patties are sometimes filled with an. An is sweet red bean paste. To westerners, it might sound gross, but seriously, don't judge it until you try it. It is smooth and sweet, with a slight beany taste in the background. An is put into all sorts of things. One of my favorites is an pan, a small sweetish roll that is stuffed with the bean paste. My favorite kind you can buy fresh in Little Tokyo in LA. If you ever go look for the an pan shop and watch the wizened old lady pour the pancake type batter into little molds. It's the only place in the US I know of where you can get steaming hot pancake type an pan. Then go visit Rafu Bussan, you will come away with beautiful Japanese dishes. Oh and I also recommend the sushi at the Frying Fish. Very delicious, and served true to Japanese style on a little conveyor belt.

Mochi with an is pretty tasty. It's sweet and sticky, and will give you a bit of a sugar high. I definitely recommend you try it if you find it. And don't worry, the grass mochi does not taste like grass. It's just colored like grass and sprinkled with super fine brown sweet stuff.