Kusamochi (草餅, mugwort mochi)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Steamer lined with a damp cloth
• •Usu and kine, or a sturdy stand mixer with paddle attachment
• •Suribachi and surikogi, or a mortar and pestle for the yomogi
• •Bench scraper for dividing sticky mochi

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the rice

   Rinse the mochigome until the water runs mostly clear, then soak it in plenty of fresh water for 6 to 8 hours. Glutinous rice needs that soak so the grains steam evenly to the center. Drain it well for 20 minutes before steaming, because excess surface water makes the mochi slack instead of elastic.

2. 2

   Shape the anko

   Divide the anko into 12 portions of about 25g each and roll them into balls. Chill them while you prepare the mochi. Cold anko holds its shape under the warm rice dough, which makes wrapping calmer and keeps the filling centered.

3. 3

   Blanch the yomogi

   Bring a small pot of water to a boil and add the baking soda. Blanch the yomogi for 45 to 60 seconds, just until the leaves turn deep green and soften, then lift them into cold water. The brief blanch takes away the raw harshness and fixes the color. Leave it too long and the spring scent goes dull, which would be a sad bargain.

4. 4

   Make yomogi paste

   Squeeze the cooled yomogi hard in your hands until no water runs from it, then chop it finely and pound or grind it to a coarse paste. The squeeze matters. Water trapped in the leaves thins the mochi and weakens its chew, while a dry paste stains the rice cleanly and leaves little green flecks of the herb.

5. 5

   Steam the rice

   Line a steamer with a damp cloth, spread in the drained rice, cover, and steam over steady heat for 35 to 40 minutes. Taste a grain from the center. It should be tender all the way through, with no chalky core. Steaming, rather than boiling, keeps the rice concentrated so it can become mochi instead of porridge.

6. 6

   Pound the mochi

   While the rice is very hot, transfer it to an usu, a sturdy mortar, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle. Dissolve the salt and sugar in 1 tablespoon hot water, sprinkle it over the rice, and pound or beat until the grains begin to disappear into a sticky mass. Add the yomogi paste and continue pounding until the mochi is even green, glossy, and elastic, with only fine flecks of herb showing.

   Work while the rice is hot. Heat keeps the starch flexible, and flexibility is what lets the grains join into one smooth body.
7. 7

   Divide the dough

   Dust a tray lightly with katakuriko and turn the mochi onto it. Dust your hands, not the whole dough, and divide it into 12 pieces. Too much starch on the inside edge keeps the mochi from sealing, so use just enough to keep your fingers from sticking.

8. 8

   Wrap the filling

   Flatten one piece of mochi into a round about 3 inches across, set an anko ball in the center, and draw the edges up around it. Pinch the seam closed, then set it seam-side down and cup it gently into a low dome. If the mochi fights you, dampen your fingers. Water helps the surface stretch; starch only keeps it apart.

9. 9

   Rest and serve

   Brush away excess starch and let the kusamochi rest 10 minutes before serving. The surface settles, the anko warms slightly from the rice, and the mugwort scent comes forward. Serve in odd numbers with room around them. A crowded plate makes even spring look tired.

Chef Tips

• •Choose yomogi that is young and tender, with soft tips and a clean green scent. Once the stems toughen, bitterness arrives, and no amount of anko will make that honmono.
• •Dried yomogi is a sensible stand-in when spring has passed, but say what it is. Soak 12g dried yomogi in warm water, squeeze it very dry, and use it as you would the fresh paste. The dish will be good, but it won't smell like March.
• •A proper usu and kine are the old tools. At home, a stand mixer with a paddle works if the rice is hot and fully steamed. Stop and scrape often so the yomogi spreads evenly.
• •Use katakuriko with restraint. It saves your hands from sticking, but too much leaves the mochi dusty and prevents the seam from closing cleanly.
• •Kusamochi is best the day it is made. Mochi firms as the starch retrogrades, a grand word for a simple annoyance: yesterday's mochi has lost its tenderness.

Advance Preparation

• •The mochigome can be rinsed and soaked overnight in the refrigerator, then drained before steaming.
• •The anko can be divided and rolled a day ahead. Keep it covered and chilled so it stays firm for wrapping.
• •Fresh yomogi can be blanched, squeezed dry, and refrigerated for one day. Grind it just before pounding it into the rice so the scent stays bright.
• •Finished kusamochi is best within 6 hours. If needed, keep it covered at cool room temperature the same day, not in the refrigerator, which makes mochi firm quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 100g)