In the classroom this week we read Suki’s Kimono by Chieri Uegaki and Stéphane Jorisch, a book that reminded us to stay true to ourselves, even when others may pressure us not to.
In the kitchen we worked with fresh mochi and made strawberry daifuku, a Japanese dessert we filled with sweet red bean paste and fresh fruit. Shiratamako flour is harder to find than mochiko flour; both are made from glutinous rice flour and will work with this recipe. Fresh mochi is very sticky, so we had a lot of fun coating our hands with cornstarch before starting our prep. It was many chefs’ first time eating mochi and red bean paste.
To celebrate our ten weeks of exploring all things rice, we ended the year with a rice-themed party, complete with horchata and many different kinds of rice-based snacks including dosa chips, gluten-free pretzels, teriyaki mochi bites, rice cakes, and both savory and sweet rice crackers.
