The Mochi Makers

Japanese American Emi makes mochi with her Obachaan while listening to the family history carried in the recipe. Obachaan recalls bringing the recipe from Japan, where she learned it from her mother and grandmother. As rice cooks and is pounded, Emi remembers her grandmother once using a wooden mallet by hand. They shape the sticky rice into cakes, fill some, leave others plain, and remember Ojichaan’s fondness for eating mochi. The pair packages mochi for family and friends before sharing it at home.