Mochi (read "Moci") is a Japanese dish with a soft, fluffy and chewy texture, made with a kind of glutinous rice. Traditionally, Mochi was served as a special dish in various celebrations and ceremonies, although in recent years it has been used for the creation of many Japanese dishes, both sweet and savory, including the famous stuffed Mochi balls.
There are two different ways to prepare Mochi: the traditional method or the more modern one.
Using the traditional method, Mochi is made by hammering steamed glutinous rice in a large wooden mortar, called Usu, with a wooden club called Kine.
Mochi-tsuki is the Japanese term for this traditional method used to make Mochi.
Mochi-tsuki events still take place at the end of each year for New Year's preparations.
With the second method, however, the glutinous rice is dried by reducing it to a powder (called Mochiko / sweet rice flour), to which water is then added to transform it into Mochi.
Mochi is a very versatile food, and is often used as a staple ingredient in many traditional Japanese dishes and desserts.
Mochi is made with water and glutinous rice, so it has a very simple flavor, and to make it more flavorful, mochi is often seasoned with various sauces and paired with other foods.
Excellent stuffed with Adzuki red bean jam, or plain accompanied by soy sauce or seaweed.
There are many different Japanese desserts that use Mochi as a basic ingredient:
Dango is a dish made up of small round pieces of Mochi served on a skewer and topped with sauce.
Daifuku is a very popular dessert, perhaps best known along with Mochi Gelato, which consists of a round ball of Mochi with a red bean paste filling called anko.
Recently, the Mochi Gelato (Mochi Ice Cream), has become very popular all over the world, with several brands of food products now producing every taste.
But if you want to enjoy an authentic and genuine Mochi Gelato, you can easily prepare it at home,
The daifuku are the classic mochi, they have a spherical shape and are filled with azuki paste, sweet red beans widely used in Japanese desserts, if you have never tried them they have a flavor that is very reminiscent of chocolate, but more delicate.
Ichigo daifuku consists of whole strawberries wrapped in mochi paste, in fact strawberries are very popular in Japan, there are more than 40 varieties and often they are already considered a real dessert on their own. A popular mochi in Japanese restaurants around Italy is definitely the ice cream mochi, which, surprise surprise, is filled with ice cream.
I know that you have many gastronomic and existential habits that you are fond of.
But when we talk about doing something to save our planet we are talking about healthy choices of healthy food, of choices to protect animals and nature.
So please if you can follow these simple tips then you can help save this planet.
DON’T USE PLASTIC BAGS BUT USE FABRIC BAGS
DON’T BUY LEATHER CLOTHES AND BAGS AND SHOES
EAT MEAT OR FISH ONLY ONCE IN A MOUTH
PLANT TREES AND VEGETABLES IN YOUR GARDEN
USE PAPER DISHES AND GLASSES FOR YOUR PARTIES
BUY ONLY WOOD FORNITURE
DON’T EAT JUNK FOOD
GO FOR A WALK, DON’T USE YOUR CAR
TURN OFF THE LIGHT AND THE TV WHEN YOU DON’ T USE THEM
TAKE CARE OF ANIMALS AND PLANTS
DON’T USE WASHING MACHINE EVERYDAY
BUY RECYCLED OR USED CLOTHES, ONLY COTTON CLOTHES, NO ACRYLIC FABRICS
Do you want your children's sleep to remain safe?
Do you want them to be able to breathe clean air?
You begin to change your toxic habits, for your own good and for their future good.
Please try to know the truth about the food you eat:
If your children need to have a snack, prepare sandwiches with tomato and vegetables for them. You can put mozzarella or just tomato and spinach, a drizzle of olive oil, fresh bread or bread with cereals.
LET YOUR CHILDREN EAT 3 FRUITS EVERY DAY
MAKE YOUR CHILDREN DRINK ENOUGH WATER
NO TV OR PC OR PS IN THE CHILDREN’ S ROOM
BUY HEALTHY FOOD WITH YOUR CHILDREN
COOK HEALTHY FOOD WITH YOUR CHILDREN
Does your little one not like vegetables? Maybe it depends on the way they are served. Vegetables can be brought to the table in many different ways: sometimes in spirals, in flower-shaped compositions or on an outdoor picnic.
Children experience flavors more intensely, because they have many more taste buds than adults. So pungent, sour or bitter aromas usually don't go down. One solution could be to preferably put on the table vegetables with a delicate or slightly sweet taste. Such as potatoes, carrots or parsnips. Do not overdo it with spices: a pinch of salt is enough to flavor the dishes.
To arouse more enthusiasm when going to the table, some original ideas for decorating can help us. On the plate flutters a butterfly of cucumbers, berries and courgette spirals, and in the bread basket there are colored tomatoes or grape skewers. You can also prepare fun animal-shaped loaves, just have molds. So healthy food is fun too!
Children may not necessarily want to eat fruit and vegetables during meals. You can tempt them with a nice colorful plate full of snacks left in plain sight. So your little ones can nibble on julienned peppers, grapes, apple slices or gherkins while they go wild in their games.
Broccoli, spinach and the like are sometimes not so terrible, if instead of being in plain sight on the plate they hide in sauces or flans. Even the most difficult palates will be more likely to accept healthy ingredients, if finely grated or pureed and then blended. Even if cooked vegetables lose some vitamins, it's still a good way to start introducing vegetables into your diet.
THE PRODIGY OF IDEAS 