Mikawaya Mochi!

So I was at my local Trader Joe’s looking at the ice cream section when I saw MOCHI!? What is Mochi doing at Trader Joe’s? And why is it in the ice cream section? Well I bought a few boxes and was delighted with it! Mochi is a rice cake made of glutinous rice that is pounded into a paste. It’s stretchy and chewy! In Japan mochi is traditionally eaten at New Years but it’s not uncommon to eat it year round as well. Mochi is often used in sweets, so in this case it’s made to make mochi ball ice cream! The ice cream balls are wrapped in mochi, so it gives them a yummy skin!

This dessert is sold in Japan by Lotte under the name “snow-viewing daifuku”. In the U.S. there is a Japanese owned company called Mikawaya that sells them at Trader Joe’s, H Mart, and Mollie Stone’s. The flavors I saw at my grocery store were green tea, manga, chocolate, and strawberry! Next time I’m trying green tea! My boyfriend recoiled in disgust when I tried to put green tea in the carriage last time but this time I’m not taking no for an answer!

I like to eat them when they’re a bit soft, so if your freezer is up too high you may not enjoy them as much. Try one as soon as you buy them! Probably only those that live in the US will share my excitement. I like to take every opportunity to try new Japanese foods.