Japanese "Popcorn"

I’m sure we all have our weird snacks, or maybe not? Maybe only I enjoy an occasional weird evening snack. My choice is mochi and yes it is not the most appetizing looking snack.

What is mochi you ask? It is a small Japanese rice cake that when baked in the oven (the way I like it) its outer shell becomes very crispy and the center of the rice cake becomes gummy. It is said that eating mochi is said to bring the spirits of the gods into your body.

I prefer mochi that is sold in a bag, individually wrapped, stored at room temperature (try this online shop or Noble Fish Market in Clawson, Michigan). There is another variety that is refrigerated or frozen that I’m not a fan of for this recipe.

Here is my recipe for what my father called “Japanese Popcorn”:

Baked Mochi

2 Mochi
1 Tbl butter
1 salt to taste

Preheat oven on Bake (500 degrees) and slit the mochi cakes with a knife three times, the slits are not deep, maybe 30% into the thickness of the cakes. Cook for 9-10 minutes making sure that the mochi is only light brown in color on the outside. The rice cakes will bubble out. Remove the mochi and put in a few slivers of butter into each mochi’s gooey center and sprinkle both with salt. Enjoy.