Adults in their thirties may remember a Chinese snack called ‘mua chee’ being sold in food markets. A strip of rice flour dough was cut off from a block of the mixture, and rolled into a tray of ground, toasted peanuts, sesame seeds and sugar. The coated pieces were placed in a plastic bag and eaten with toothpicks. Another version saw the dough being rolled into a ball, with the peanut mix used as a stuffing and the rice ball being rolled into flour.
In its later incarnations, stalls selling ‘mochi’ had a small popularity run, with offerings of flavoured rice dough in pandan, coffee, lychee and other such Oriental flavours. I ate this version once and dismissed it as faddish. I did not seek it out again.
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| The box of really royal mochi. |
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| The assortment inside. |
My mum-in-law recently returned from a tour of Taiwan and brought back a large box of mochi. I was ready to dismiss it, but it turned out to be the best, most amazing mocha I have ever had. Even non-mochi takers loved the chewy but not sticky texture and the rich, natural filling of red bean, yam, lotus paste and sesame.
It’s a pity no one imports this in Malaysia, but it was a treat to savour and remember!
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