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Bandai Mochi ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

  • Tochigi Prefecture

    Bandai Mochi

Bandai Mochi

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  • Bandai Mochi
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    Image provider: Nikko Tourism Division

  • recipe image

    Image provider: Tochigi Farmers Conference

  • Main lore areas

    Nikko city, Western Tochigi (Formerly known as Kuriyama)

  • Main ingredients used

    Rice flour

  • History/origin/related events

    A local cuisine passed down from long ago in the Kuriyama region located in Tochigi Prefecture’s Nikko city. Known for using Rice flour as opposed to glutinous rice, bandai mochi’s name is said to have been derived from how it was made in small mountain huts where the rice was placed on top of a board and pounded with things such as the butt of an axe. As opposed to mochi which uses glutinous rice, bandai mochi is less sticky, hardens at a slower pace and is known for its smooth texture.

    In the Kuriyama region, the mochi is eaten in various ways depending on the area. The mochi can be formed into a flat round shape and brushed with sweet miso or jūne (perilla seed miso) and grilled, or it can be enjoyed with red bean paste and mashed soybeans (zunda) as toppings. Some also put it into soup stock made using freshly fished char.

  • Opportunities and times of eating habits

    Whilst bandai mochi is made and eaten all year round now, it was originally used in mountain huts for festivals celebrating the mountain gods or brought home as gifts when returning from the mountains. In the Kawamata area located in Kuriyama, the dish continues to remain a staple on annual days of festivities such as the Tango no Sekku in May or at Obon festivals in the summer.

  • How to eat

    When using a mochi making machine, use a rice paddle to press down on the mochi until it starts to become sticky. Shape the mochi into a round shape and toast it over the sunken heathen (irori) then add toppings such as red bean paste, jūne or zunda to your liking. Apart from toasting or grilling the mochi, you can also put it into soup and enjoy it as rice cake soup. In Yunishigawa, bandai mochi is placed into a soup filled with ingredients such as fish and vegetables and enjoyed as 「bandai mochi soup」. You can also enjoy other variations such as bandai mochi cooked in mackerel soup or vegetable soup (kenchinjiru).

  • Efforts for Preservation and Succession

    (Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches at commercialization)
    Bandai mochi is available at Yunishigawa hot spring’s guest lodges as well as the cafeteria and stalls in the souvenir hub. Yunishigawa is also known as the home of the Heiki fugitives and some lodges still provide meals prepared using the irori for which tourists visit in order to enjoy a taste of the recreated Heiki fugitives’ traditional cuisine.

RECIPE

Ingredients (4 servings)

  • Rice flour 500g
  • Edamame (with shell) 400g
  • salt A pinch
  • Jūne (perilla seeds) 50g
  • Sugar 40g
  • salt A pinch

How to cook

  • 1. Soak rice in water and cook slightly harder than usual. Steam well.

  • 2. Place step 1 into a mochi making machine and shape mochi into cylindrical shapes weighing 25-30g.

  • 3. 【Zunda】 Boil the edamame and unshell. Place edamame and some water used to boil the edamame into a blender and blend until crushed well. Season with salt.

  • 4. 【Jūne】 Place the perilla seeds into a frypan and roast on low heat to prevent burning. Place roasted seeds into mortar. Whilst grinding seeds add one spoonful of hot water, mix, and repeat once more. Add sugar and salt. Grind to mix.

  • 5. Spread step 3 or 4 onto step 2 and enjoy whilst still warm.

provider : Tochigi Farmers Conference

Recipes vary depending on the region and home.

Contact

Food Cultures Office, Overseas Market Development and Food Cultures Division, Food Industry Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Tel:+81-3-3502-5516

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