Warabi Mochi

A subject of a big joke this month was Warabi Mochi, a summer treat in Japan you can't go without. Apparently there's a truck that goes around Osaka selling Warabi Mochi with the same tune of another street vendor jingle. No one else in that party heard it before, so as far as we're concerned, it's a phantom truck. But I guess according to wiki, I guess it's not uncommon? But I'll believe it when I see it.

This subject was brought up once at the izakaya, and again at a takoyaki party our friend brought as a joke and, of course, a delicious dessert. But there is nothing but love for Warabi Mochi. It's sweet, refreshing, and iconic as a summer Japanese treat. My cravings for sweets requires me to find healthier alternatives, and this is one of them. Warabi mochi being fat free and low in calories, with the kinako topping as a source of Vitamin B and protein. Naturally, I had to make some myself.



Basically, you mix the warabi mochi powder, water, and some sugar as directed on the package, and boil it till the mix is transparent, and hard enough to make balls with:







Have a large bowl of ice cold water ready, and when your mix is hard enough, take two spoons, scoop with one, and plop with the other into the ice cold water to harden and cool down. Repeat this till you've made all your balls:



Now, while your warabi mochi are cooling, get your kinako ready by mixing kinako powder, sugar, and a tiny pinch of salt. When you're ready for your snack, THEN roll your warabi mochi in the kinako to enjoy with some houjicha (my favorite).



Just a note, I took this as a snack to work WITH kinako on already, the kinako got so soggy, it wasn't the best taste...

Mitsuba and Unagi

I lied about posting the miso recipe. It hasn't happened yet. Maybe I'll do it when my eggplants are ready to eat. It's about Unaju this week.



So I found excellent Unagi on sale last week and bought tons to freeze. It's already BBQed and the sauce is included. Just that on rice is most satisfying, but even more so if you have it with a soup using the kimo (liver). But since i didn't gut the eel, instant soups - not miso, but "osui mono" which is a clearer soup using fish stock with a little bit of seaweed and chives - is the way to go. My favorite herb in that soup would be Mitsuba, though there is never enough of the flavor in the instant version.



So as a small fan of gardening and Japanese foods, I've go my basic chives and shiso of course, but this year I tried mitsuba (Cryptotaenia). They should grow like weeds, we used to have a whole bunch grow right beside the watering hose at my childhood home. It's been cold this year, but as soon as the sun came out, they sprung up in no time! Mitsuba are called Japanese parsley, and tastes somewhat similar, but it's flatter and softer, and is a good source of Vitamin C and Calcium.



So to get the maximum flavor of the mitsuba, I chopped up about 3-4 leaves including part of the stem, and left one whole for garnishing to float on top. Most satisfactory...