Simple Vegetable Mochi Melt

An old-school macrobiotic classic

I find these kinds old school macrobiotic recipes so soothing and comforting. I’m not sure if it’s the stickiness of melted mochi or the subtle and clean Japanese flavors? Maybe both? Part of the ease and simplicity of this recipe is that it can be made with veggies you probably have sitting in your fridge, if not you can substitute with other root vegetables or squash cup for cup. Frozen sweet corn makes a delicious addition too. I do love the way cabbage melts when sautéed and steamed but I’ve loved this recipe with leeks and chickpeas too. Cooked chickpeas or beans are great to stir in if you want the added protein. I used to make this in the oven in a casserole dish, roasting the vegetables first then adding cooked chickpeas and grated mochi before covering tightly to melt it. I made it that way recently and decided that the ease of a quick, nourishing stove top meal was more appealing.

Here I am assuming you know what mochi is—if not it’s a cooked and pounded sweet rice product that I buy vacuum packed at well stocked health food stores. You can find sprouted brown rice mochi—the sprouting increases nutrient absorption so it’s a great option if you have the choice. Being a cooked whole grain, I think it’s an ideal pantry staple as it takes minutes to cook—unlike brown rice. It also lasts years unopened.

Back in the early 2000’s when I was living in the East Village you could find it fresh in the refrigerated section of a few local health food stores (anyone remember Prana?). I don’t recall the brand, but I do remember a cinnamon raison flavored mochi that you could slice and cook in a waffle iron—it was delicious. In those days I didn’t eat any concentrated sweeteners, so this was a treat!

I don’t always use mochi melted like in this recipe. Sometimes we cut it into