Kujira-mochi (Steamed Walnut Rice-Flour Cake)
Quick answer
- Active time
- 110 min
- Waiting
- See the steps
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 40 servings
- Ingredients
- 6
About this dish
Despite the name, there is no whale in kujira-mochi.
Read more
One story traces it to kujimochi, a rice cake that keeps well, while another says old versions were as large as a whale. One account links it to provisions made for the Shinjo domain about three centuries ago. In the Mogami and Murayama areas of Yamagata it was set before the doll display for the Peach Festival on April 3. Brown sugar syrup, two kinds of rice flour, an overnight rest, and walnuts at the bottom of a deep mold give a dark, dense cake that slices firm yet chewy.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Reserve 0.5 cup of the 5.5 cups water under refrigeration for adjusting the batter the next day.
Combine the remaining 5 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt, and 600g dark brown sugar in a pot, stir over medium heat until dissolved, remove just before boiling, and cool to room temperature.
- 2
Whisk 10 cups glutinous rice flour and 2 cups non-glutinous rice flour together for 1 minute in a large bowl.
Add the cooled syrup in four portions, scraping the bottom with a wooden spatula each time, until the batter flows slowly and continuously from the spatula.
- 3
Cover the bowl with a clean damp cloth wrung nearly dry and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.
The next day, stir from the bottom. If too stiff, add the reserved water 1 tablespoon at a time until the batter again flows slowly from a wooden spatula.
- 4
Line 4 deep heatproof steaming molds of 1L capacity with clean damp cloths wrung nearly dry.
Divide 100g shelled walnuts evenly over the four mold bottoms and pour in the batter, filling each mold no more than two-thirds high.
- 5
Set the molds in a steamer only after the water is boiling vigorously and producing abundant steam.
Cover and steam over high heat for 60 minutes. Check that the steamer does not run dry, adding boiling water if needed so the steam never stops.
- 6
Confirm that the center of the deepest mold reaches at least 90°C, the raw rice-flour taste is gone, and the cake has set as one mass. Steam 10 minutes more if needed. Lift out with the cloth, cool completely, slice 1cm thick, and seal leftovers for refrigeration or freezing.
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
山形県食生活改善推進協議会会長沼澤 紀美子 氏 · Checked: 2026-08-11
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