Traditional Asian desserts are fundamentally different from Russian, Eastern and European ones. Among them there are also baked goods that are familiar to everyone, but they are definitely not as bad for the figure as, for example, traditional Russian desserts. Asian sweets have always been considered one of the most beneficial for health and shape.
If we talk about desserts in Japan, then one of the most popular in our time is a cake based on mochi rice dough. Hiroki Arakawa, the chef of the Japanese restaurant Sakura Blossom, has shared with us the secret recipe for its preparation and beneficial properties for health.
History and cooking technique
The history of the Mochi dessert dates back to approximately the 8th century AD.
Mochi is a type of Japanese parboiled rice dough of the mochi-mai variety (glutinous, sweet rice). The preparation of mochi dough takes a long time, and the process itself is very laborious.
Mochi rice dough is prepared as follows:
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Steamed sweet rice is pounded in traditional wooden mortars ("usu") with special wooden beaters ("kine"). This procedure must be performed by two people: one is pounding, and the other is wetting the mochi and mixing it by hand.
- The work must go smoothly, otherwise you can injure your hands. The rice pounding procedure takes about 40 minutes. When the mochi is soft, viscous and resilient, it reaches a state of readiness.
- In the future, the mochi is either dried and cut, or small round cakes are formed from the dough and used as a dessert.
Nowadays, a whole group of sweets with the same name "Mochi" is prepared from the traditional mochi dough. Among them you can find soft steamed buns with a variety of sweet fillings, mochi ice cream, glazed mochi, fried mochi, etc.
Mochi ice cream is especially popular - small balls of ice cream wrapped in mochi aspen dough and daifuku mochi (rice dough cakes with a variety of sweet fillings).
What is its use?
In addition to being tasty, mochi dessert is also healthy. Mochi sweets contain a small amount of sugar, while the main ingredient in its composition is rice. Those who follow the right diet know that baked goods made from rice flour are less harmful to the figure than similar ones made from ordinary flour.
Dessert Moti is especially recommended for those who suffer from anemia, an imbalance in blood sugar, as well as those who have intestinal problems. The Japanese sweetness will be especially useful for people with weak or low immunity (see also: "9 foods to boost immunity").
About the expert:
Hiroki Arakawa
Photo: Getty Images, press archives
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