New Year's Eve Mochi, Oden, and Snow

 

Song:  Walking in the Air

Rendition:  Andre Rieu

New Year's Eve at my mother's house.

My Elder sister and her husband, my younger sister, and my mother and I 

ate a traditional Japanese meal for New Year's on New Year's Eve.

My younger sister made Oden 

(the recipe of which is at the end of this article)...

and, as I had already presoaked the mochi rice overnight...

I then started the mochi maker and my younger sister and I took turns 

making the mochi cakes from the completed cooked and folded mochi

from the mochi machine.

It was lightly snowing when we began...

but would later start snowing in earnest.

I had taken the presoaked mochi rice from one of the very large bowls

and strained the rice before placing a portion of it into the mochi maker.

It takes less than one hour per cycle...

but there had been many cycles run before all of the mochi was made.

My younger sister began hard boiling eggs for the oden.

The snow fall began to increase.

The ingredients for oden.

The prepared ingredients ready for the pot.

The prepared mochi ready to make into cakes.

I just powdered the glass top dining table with rice flour 

to use as the base from which I would tear and form the mochi cakes.

The rice flour prevents the mochi cakes from sticking to the table...

our hands, and to itself so fist sized mochi cakes could be made with ease.

My view from the table.

Oden is a complete meal as it has a plentiful amount of vegetables and protein

(in the form of eggs and fish cakes).

Bandi enjoying the snow.

Don't worry...

Bandi has free access to the inside through a set of doggie doors.

As we were making the meal...

my mother enjoyed her Asian coffee (rich in cream and sugar) and rice cracker treats.

My mother enjoying her oden.

My elder sister quartered the eggs for ease of eating for my mother.

The snow flakes came down in greater size and volume before long.

This was my oden.

I love it with hot Chinese mustard.

Oden brought back memories of my time spent in Osaka when I worked there

after I graduated university.

Oden was available at local convenience stores all through winter.

It was hot, nutritious, and delicious.

On New Year's day, I ate more Oden...

and Bandi enjoyed more of the snow.

The recipe for Oden is below: