Mysterious Mochi

I like to try foods that are unfamiliar. While browsing the refrigerated section at the store, I came across Mochi.

Never heard of it. It passed my test of having an ingredient list of all words a third grader could pronounce: rice, various seeds and salt. It's a Japanese food made primarily from short-grain sweet rice. It came in a 6x6 inch square that you cut apart and then bake till it puffs.

Here it is cut into small squares. This is the Super Seed Mochi.


Then I baked it. They were too close and most baked into puzzle-like pieces. The dough was still chilled from refrigeration, so maybe that's why they puffed out the way they did. They certainly did not look like the back of the package.

As for the taste, they were a bit chewy and there was a puffed center in each. Perfect for some kind of dip - perhaps a tofu-basil type of dip. I will be revisiting this issue in the future. Next time, I shall let the dough come closer to room temperature, place the pieces further apart on the baking sheet and have some sort of tasty dip available. Mmmm mmmm good!