You may have seen Kagami Mochi, the decorative rice cakes displayed in Japanese homes during the New Year. But have you heard of Kagami Biraki?
Kagami Mochi literally means “mirror rice cakes” and is offered to the gods at the start of the year as a symbol of prosperity and good health. Then, on Kagami Biraki Day (usually in mid-January), the mochi is broken into smaller pieces — symbolising the opening of good fortune for the year ahead — and enjoyed as food.
My favourite way to enjoy it is isobe-mochi — toasted mochi wrapped in nori (seaweed) and dipped in dashi soy sauce. This time, I’m sharing a healthier version of isobe-mochi made with tofu and dashi soy sauce — perfect for this season. Give it a try and enjoy a taste of Japanese New Year at home!
Isobe-Mochi Dumplings with Dashi Soy Sauce
Ingredients
- 100 g glutinous rice flour
- 115 g tofu
For the dashi soy sauce:
- 8 g shaved, dried bonito
- 80 ml soy sauce
- 20 ml sake
- 20 ml mirin
Instructions
- Knead the rice flour with tofu until the dough has the consistency of your earlobe.
- Divide the dough into 1 inch balls. Push down the center of each piece.
- Boil water in a pan and then drop in the dumplings. Once the dumplings start floating after about 1-2 minutes, take them out and put them into the iced water.
- Take out the dumplings from the iced water and place them on a plate. Drain off the water completely from the plate.
- Add the soy sauce, sake and mirin to a saucepan over a medium heat without a lid. Once it starts boiling, then add the shaved dried bonito and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Take out and discard the shaved dried bonito. Let it cool.
