Hoshi-mochi (Winter Freeze-Dried Rice Cakes)
Quick answer
- Active time
- 300 min
- Waiting
- See the steps
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 90 servings
- Ingredients
- 5
About this dish
Freezing and thawing over and over pulls the moisture out of these rice cakes, leaving them porous and nearly weightless, which is why they are also called kori-mochi.
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Strung on rice straw, long curtains of mochi under the eaves were once the look of February in Goshogawara, and each household had someone who read the weather to pick the day to hang them. It is a winter job: 4.5 kg of glutinous rice steamed, pounded, and dried for about two months. The finished pieces are chewed crisp, lightly toasted, brushed with butter and soy sauce, or fried.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Rinse the glutinous rice repeatedly, submerge in abundant cold water, and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.
Spread in sieves and drain at least 30 minutes.
- 2
Line a large steamer with a damp cloth and spread the rice evenly.
Steam vigorously for 50 to 60 minutes, until the grains are translucent through the center and crush easily.
- 3
Transfer the steamed rice to a large mortar or mochi machine and pound.
Add the 1440 ml water gradually for a wetter dough than ordinary mochi, then mix in sugar and salt when almost no grains remain.
- 4
Add the sesame and pound only until evenly distributed.
Spread the mochi about 1 cm thick on a water-moistened board, cool completely, and cut into 90 thin rectangles of roughly 50 g each.
- 5
Braid the pieces at regular intervals between clean, dry rice straw into long curtain-like strands.
Keep pieces from touching and confirm every knot is secure.
- 6
Choose a dry subzero day, dip the braided mochi once in clean water, and hang it under a well-ventilated outdoor eave protected from dust and animals until frozen solid.
- 7
Wind-dry the mochi through roughly two winter months.
Inspect ropes and surfaces daily; if mold or persistently wet pieces appear, discard the entire affected strand rather than trimming. Finished cakes must be light, hard, and dry through the center.
- 8
To serve, chew small dry pieces slowly or toast briefly on both sides over gentle heat to release the rice aroma.
Let toasted pieces cool for 1 minute because the centers become very hot.
References checked
These references were consulted when this page was prepared or corrected. A source check does not mean the recipe was independently kitchen-tested.
- 일본 농림수산성 うちの郷土料理
農林水産省 · Checked: 2026-08-11
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