Sencha and yomogi mochi
The third pairing of mochi and Japanese green tea. Perfect!
Yes, finally a mochi that goes perfectly with sencha. Yomogi (Japanese mugwort), julienned into tiny strings and mixed with the mochi dough, gives the mochi a clean, refreshing taste, which reminds me of the tip of a Vietnamese bánh ít or a bánh ít gai (*).
However, what struck me was the filling: red bean and sweet potato paste. The red bean is the main factor, the sweet potato is only at the top, closest to the doughy coat. The azuki sweetness subdues the fishiness (umami) of sencha, and the sencha bitterness subdues the sweetness. Is this why the Japanese use azuki for their desserts so often?
Why didn’t the sencha – matcha-mochi pair work as well? The matcha mochi also has azuki paste, but I think the orange juice and the walnuts distracted me. The yomogi clarifies the taste in a more floral and less bitter way than the matcha; and like saffron, sometimes a spice’s presence isn’t noticeable, but its absence would be. Anyways, this pair also shows that a simpler mochi can be a better mochi.
(*) Like mochi, bánh ít has a sticky rice dough with fillings, which can be sweet (coconut) or salty-sweet (mung bean paste). Unlike mochi, it’s all wrapped up in leaves, and it’s about 4 times bigger than a mochi. Shape-wise, mochi is most similar to bánh quy, whose green color (should) comes from pandan leaf. Similarly, the black color of bánh ít gai comes from the thorn leaf (ramie leaf), but the other ingredients are the same.
This post also appears on Tea and Mai
P.S. Sencha is interesting. It’s bitter at first and gets nutty later. It tastes odd at first because it’s not what you would expect from a drink, but the more you drink it, the more you’re attracted to it.
P.P.S. Yomogi mochi is also called “kusa mochi” (grass mochi). So Ms. Yuri Vaughn the mochi artist for Teance calls it “yomogi grass mochi”, which made me think that yomogi was a grass.
Thanks for the sensible critique. Me & my neighbor were just preparing to do a little research about this. We got a grab a book from our local library but I think I learned more clear from this post. I’m very glad to see such fantastic information being shared freely out there.
1Have you ever considered writing an ebook or guest authoring on other sites? I have a blog based on the same information you discuss and would really like to have you share some stories/information. I know my visitors would appreciate your work. If you’re even remotely interested, feel free to send me an email.
2I like this weblog so much, saved to favorites.
3wonderful publish, vry informative. I’m wondering why the oppsite specialisfs
4oof this sector ddo noot understand this. You shbould prpceed you writing.
I am confident, you’ve a great readers’ base already!
xnxx
I don’t even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was great. I do not know who you are but definitely you are going to a famous blogger if you aren’t already 😉 Cheers!
5늑대닷컴을 검색하며 궁금했던 웹툰 정보와 작품 찾는 방법을 정리했습니다. 연재·완결 구분, 무료 회차와 미리보기 차이, 주소 정보 확인 기준, 모바일 이용 팁과 자주 묻는 질문을 확인하세요.
6밤토끼가 어떤 사이트였는지, 과거 이력과 현재 검색 정보를 구분하는 방법을 정리했습니다. 예전에 보던 웹툰 찾기, 공식 연재처 확인, 무료 회차와 대여·소장 차이, 자주 묻는 질문까지 한 번에 확인하세요.
7certainly like your website but you have to check the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Several of them are rife with spelling issues and I find it very bothersome to tell the truth nevertheless I’ll certainly come back again.
8Great work! That is the type of info that are supposed to be shared around the web. Disgrace on Google for now not positioning this post higher! Come on over and consult with my web site . Thanks =)
9I’m not sure where you are getting your information, but good topic. I needs to spend some time learning more or understanding more. Thanks for fantastic information I was looking for this information for my mission.
10Hi there would you mind letting me know which webhost you’re working with? I’ve loaded your blog in 3 different internet browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot faster then most. Can you recommend a good hosting provider at a honest price? Cheers, I appreciate it!
11