I was very excited to see this recipe! If you make your own mochi it's even better (i have a mochi machine that kneads the glutenous rice like a bread machine). If the texture of the mochi is like 'hardened glue ' it probably has not been cooked all the way through. My favorite way to eat mochi is the basic way grilled on the stove with soy sauce on it. The mochi should be crisp on the outside and very soft on the inside.
Yes defrost the mochi before dipping it. I've never had to grease a pan but it might help. Also a toaster oven often works best for this dish because you need very direct intense heat to get the mochi to toast correctly. It should be quite obvious when it's done: it will puff up and the top should be a rich brown. Be careful of burning though because burnt soy sauce is particularly nasty. You may also wish to serve it alongside additional soy sauce for dipping. If you are new to mochi please be aware that it can be dangerous if not chewed properly and that frankly it isn't for everyone. I hope that helps.
Are we supposed to thaw the mochi first? Otherwise it doesn't absorb the soy sauce (not that we'd want it to absorb an entire half-cup anyway). How do you get the nori to stick once the mochi is cooked and dry on the outside? And don't forget to use a non-stick spray or pan as mochi is sticky stuff.
My mom has a mochi maker and regularly makes mochi at home especially at the new year. I'm toasting some home made mochi now! Anyway I'm half Japanese mom is full and we keep ours frozen. We pop them in the toaster oven and it does take a while... i like to wait til the inside pops out a little thats how i know its cooked through. I usually rest the nori on top of the toaster to get a bit warm and crunchy. Then on a flat plate i put some soy sauce and japanese spice (karashi) and cover the mochi. That way the nori will stick to the mochi and the soy sauce flavor is all there. After that i enjoy and dip with every bite!
These are my favorite.. even tastier if you add a slice of sharp cheddar inside the nori.. it doesn't sound very Japanese with cheese but this was how it was served to me by a Japanese lady...!! mmmmmm
This is my favorite snack. Mochi has to be moistened for seaweed to stick. I always use a toaster to bake mochi. You can find packaged mochi that is not frozen in a japanse grocery store.
Use Mugwort flavoured Nori! Thaw it out and ENJOY!
I didn't care for this recipe at all and neither did my family. I would have given it only 1 star but I think part of the problem was just in the nature of the mochi cake being so sticky and thick. It was like hardened glue with seaweed. If you like mochi cakes and seaweed you may like this.
I didn't bother dipping the mochi in soy sauce before broiling them until they were slightly browned and puffed up. Wrapped it in a piece of seaweed and dipped it in soy sauce - delicious.
