Mochiko-san

  Let me introduce my friend Mochiko-san - I got to know her in the grocery store I frequent, Uwajimaya. She is from California. I asked her for help with cooking one of the dishes I ate during my stay in Japan, steamed lotus root. My family and I were invited to my aunt's place for the new year and we had loads of nice food including this dish. 

  Following her recipe I combined grated lotus root, salt and "mochiko" and steamed the mixture. And the result was not bad. Covered in thickened "dashi" it's warm and slightly sticky. Well done, Mochiko! It was also rated 3.5 out of 5 by my husband, meaning it's a dish worth repeating.
  I'm more up for cooking since I came back from Japan. I had been uninspired and tired of the daily chore but became more motivated by eating great food cooked by my mother, my aunt and my foodie friend Naoko. I appreciate food again now and would like to eat more nice food. I'm not really in the mood for dining out right now. Food here can be strongly seasoned - extremely sweet or salty. Once I found my salad swimming in the dressing and my pad thai as sweet as a sugar lump. I hope the refreshing culinary experiences in Japan keeps my enthusiasm for cooking.