Asian Diasporic Cuisine: Mochi Dish and Its History
Conduct a thorough research about the selected recipe and write an essay that elaborates on how this research helps you better understand the transformation of a specific Asian or Asian diasporic cuisine. You should apply certain theoretical knowledge, such as the culinary infrastructure to your writing. The essay should include illustrations of your own cooking and research materials. In this course, we encourage and endorse creative works, including creative writing. However, we understand that not everyone may feel comfortable expressing their ideas in a highly creative manner. Therefore, we also value conventional academic papers with clear structure, organization, argumentation, and succinct writing. As graders, we maintain a flexible grading standard, allowing you more options to manipulate your work.
Continuing from Step I, you should now have accumulated enough sources and information about the dish or recipe you have examined. It is now time for you to integrate everything together with a theoretical analysis of its importance and implications in our historical contexts. Throughout the course, you have already learned about several significant and up-to-date theories in the field of food studies, such as Culinary Infrastructure, Culinary Tourism, Culinary Nationalism, National Cuisine, Meal Thinking Perspective, and more. Now, it is important to delve deeper into the connection between any of these theoretical frameworks and your own recipe. You should answer this question clearly and thoughtfully: how your recipe or dish contributes to a better understanding of the transformation of Asian foodways in a specific historical period? To do so, you should engage with both primary sources and secondary literature.
Mochi Dish and Its History
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Mochi Dish and Its History
Mochi's history elaborates on the culinary story of a famous Japanese treat made by beating glutinous rice into a tacky dough that people can mold into shapes that are eaten immediately or stored for future use. This delicacy is cooked in soup or used to make a variety of traditional Japanese sweets. It is common to toast Mochi and dip it in various flavorings (Mochi, 2023). Many people eat toasted Mochi in cold weather; it is slightly larger and has a crisp crust and soft interior. Mochi has existed for a long time and has undergone various modifications distinct from the original recipe.
Origins of Mochi
Mochi has been a part of Japan and China for the several thousand years that rice has grown in these areas. The first pounding technique for creating Mochi began with people in East Asia who involved glutinous rice as the principal fixing to make the delicate, adaptable pastry (Moore, 2013). By the end of (1603-1868), several regional variations of Mochi had emerged, and the food became an essential diet in Japan. Several theories explain the name "mochi." One claim that the term originates from the verb "motsu," which means "to have" or "to hold," suggesting that the food is a gift from God. People from the southwest and western islands call the food "muchimi," implying "stickiness." Other individuals believe the name came from "Mochizuki," meaning "full moon." Furthermore, Japanese farmers eat Mochi during cold seasons to increase stamina. Samurai carried Mochi to battlefields due to its size and ease preparing (Moore, 2013). As a result, whenever people heard Samurai pounding, it was a signal they were about to go into combat. In summary, Mochi has existed for several generations.
Mochi in the History of Japanese Culture
Traditionally, the Japanese made Mochi through a mochitsuki ritual, where people wielded heavy wooden hammers while pounding rice. Mochi is customary for the Japanese New Year and is ordinarily sold and eaten during that time. Families position a kagami mochi decoration comprising two spheres of Mochi and a daidai (bitter orange) on alters during New Year. Japanese natives have embraced the practice as an image of best luck and proposition solidarity to get past the chilly months to come (Hamada, 2014). Mochi also symbolizes happiness, prosperity, and health for the beginning year. Mochi is an enormous piece of the Shinto religion, where believers ordinarily utilized food as contributions for the divine beings during religious ceremonies. Most Japanese use Mochi made of plain white rice on special occasions (Fujita). This custom has endured hundreds of years, and homemaking them is uncommon.
How to Make Mochi
Mochi consistently has a similar base: short-grain glutinous rice (mochigome), and the filling depends on what sort of Mochi one eats. Some, like the customary Mochi, are intended to be delighted with soup and vegetables, while others can be snacks (OKITA, 2015). This paper discusses preparing Mochi that contains red bean paste as the filling.
Ingredients
Glutinous rice flour (machigome)
This ingredient is significant for the signature chewy texture of Mochi.
Ensure it is glutinous rice flour and not regular rice flour.
Cornstarch
It prevents sticking when rolling dough.
Water
Water thins machigome dough to create consistency and make it easier to work with.
Red bean paste (anko or adzuki bean)
The cook can buy sweetened red beans in the store or make them at home. The main ingredients to make anko is red beans and white sugar.
Sugar
To add a sweet taste.
Plastic wrap
Use for cover when microwaving.
Green tea powder (matcha)
This spice gives Mochi a desirable green color. However, it is not a must ingredient; the food will still taste fine without it. If you like colorful food, then you can consider matcha.
* 1 cup of glutinous rice flour
* 1 cup of anko
* One teaspoon of matcha
* ½ cup of cornstarch
* ½ cup of white sugar
* 1 cup of water
Procedure
1 Assemble all ingredients.
2 Wrap the sweetened red bean paste in aluminum foil, then place it in a freezer for at least 1 hour until solid.
3 If you are using matcha, add it to the glutinous rice flour and mix in a bowl. Ensure the bowl is microwave friendly.
4 Add sugar to the rice flour mix, then add water and continue mixing until smooth.
5 Using the plastic wrap, cover the bowl and microwave the mixture for 3 minutes and 30 seconds.
6 Meanwhile, remove anko from the freezer and divide it into equal balls. Put aside.
7 Remove the rice flour from the microwave, stir, then cover and return it to heat for another 20 seconds.
8 Dust your work surface with cornstarch. Roll the hot rice flour combination into slightly larger balls than the red beans one. Flatten the rice balls, then place one ball of anko in the center of each. Using the flattened rice flour, cover the red bean paste completely.
9 You can sprinkle more cornstarch ...