# Japanese food in "Tampopo" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 14, 2006, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-food-in-tampopo/368658 "2006-08-14T13:27:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-food-in-tampopo/368658/1 "2006-08-14T13:27:03Z")
In the movie _Tampopo_, there’s a scene in a restaurant in which an elderly gentleman chokes on some gummy, stretchy food. He’s saved when someone uses a vacuum to suck the stuff out of his throat? What was that gummy food substance? ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-food-in-tampopo/368658/2 "2006-08-14T13:40:25Z")
Oshiruko. It’s a sweet red bean soup with rice cake. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-food-in-tampopo/368658/3 "2006-08-14T14:08:46Z")
[QUOTE=Alive At Both Ends] Oshiruko. It’s a sweet red bean soup with rice cake. [/QUOTE] So it’s the rice cake that he choked on? ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-food-in-tampopo/368658/4 "2006-08-14T14:13:56Z")
I imagine so - it’s very sticky. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-food-in-tampopo/368658/5 "2006-08-14T14:23:25Z")
The “rice cake” is called [mochi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mochi). It’s made of glutinous rice (even more sticky than regular Japanese “sticky rice”), steamed and then pounded into a dense lump. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-food-in-tampopo/368658/6 "2006-08-14T14:41:51Z")
[Death by mochi](http://www.karai.com/archives/2005/01/03/new-years-death-toll-mounts/) is a rather too common occurence for elderly Japanese especially at New Year (when most mochi get’s eaten). The shame is that mochi is really nice to eat. Does anyone know the name if any for plain mochi, without any filling just the glutinous rice stuff? Also does anyone know of a westernized version that uses marzipan instead of bean paste? Everyone should try the westernized Mochi Ice creams if you get a chance. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-food-in-tampopo/368658/7 "2006-08-14T15:09:47Z")
[QUOTE=Bippy the Beardless] Does anyone know the name if any for plain mochi, without any filling just the glutinous rice stuff? [/QUOTE] Yes, it’s called _mochi_. 😉 If you add some sort of sauce or use it as an ingredient, you’d call it by different names. _Oshiruko_ has already been mentioned (sweet red bean soup with mochi). If you dip it in soy sauce and wrap it in _nori_ (seaweed), it’s an _isobe mochi_. If you serve it with an edamame sauce, that’s a _zunda_ (or _zunda mochi_). A savory soup with mochi is called _zouni_ - a standard New Year dish. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-food-in-tampopo/368658/8 "2006-08-14T15:53:23Z")
[QUOTE=scr4] Yes, it’s called _mochi_. 😉 If you add some sort of sauce or use it as an ingredient, you’d call it by different names. _Oshiruko_ has already been mentioned (sweet red bean soup with mochi). If you dip it in soy sauce and wrap it in _nori_ (seaweed), it’s an _isobe mochi_. If you serve it with an edamame sauce, that’s a _zunda_ (or _zunda mochi_). A savory soup with mochi is called _zouni_ - a standard New Year dish. [/QUOTE] But all the shops here sell “Mochi” but they all contain bean stuff or lotus stuff or unidentifieble stuff. I’ve never seen the Mochi plane without any filling at all. _zouni_ sounds really nice. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-food-in-tampopo/368658/9 "2006-08-14T18:11:48Z")
Eating plain mochi is like eating white bread. 😛 Plain mochi with a sweetner added such as fruit juices or just plain sugar exists. However, plain mochi is often found in soups or dredged in sweetened kinako(toasted soybean flour)/sugar mixtures. I personally fry it in oil first, or steam it or when I’m lazy, zap it in the microwave before dredging. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-food-in-tampopo/368658/10 "2006-08-14T18:21:05Z")
This is TMI: too mochi information. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-food-in-tampopo/368658/11 "2006-08-14T18:51:19Z")
I’ve heard descriptions of something called _natto_, and it sounds to be something similar to _mochi_. Is there any relationship? ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-food-in-tampopo/368658/12 "2006-08-14T19:28:23Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] I’ve heard descriptions of something called _natto_, and it sounds to be something similar to _mochi_. Is there any relationship? [/QUOTE] Nope. _Natto_ is cooked soybeans inoculated with a bacteria which causes them to ferment. They give off a cheesy/coffeelike odor, and have an extremely stringy, glutinous texture. Some folks are nauseated by them, but I utterly adore them, mixed with an egg yolk, asian mustard and slivered green onions. Mochi is just sticky rice, cooked and pounded until it becomes a smooth, stretchy dough. I like it when a patty of it is filled with sweet red bean paste - it makes a good, if filling, dessert. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-food-in-tampopo/368658/13 "2006-08-14T19:58:12Z")
[QUOTE=Bippy the Beardless] But all the shops here sell “Mochi” but they all contain bean stuff or lotus stuff or unidentifieble stuff. I’ve never seen the Mochi plane without any filling at all. [/QUOTE] If you’re shopping at a well-stocked Asian market, you’ll probably find it in the dried food section. Packaged mochi isn’t really dried, but it does last for many months without refrigeration. Just heat it up in a toaster oven and it’ll become a sticky goo again (though not as soft as freshly pounded mochi, of course). Or just cut and drop into soup. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-food-in-tampopo/368658/14 "2006-08-14T20:15:29Z")
[QUOTE=scr4] If you’re shopping at a well-stocked Asian market, you’ll probably find it in the dried food section. Packaged mochi isn’t really dried, but it does last for many months without refrigeration. Just heat it up in a toaster oven and it’ll become a sticky goo again (though not as soft as freshly pounded mochi, of course). Or just cut and drop into soup. [/QUOTE] But I want it fresh and chewy and sweet and without beans and whhaaaaaaaa! P.S. this is TMI, too much indigestion. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-food-in-tampopo/368658/15 "2006-08-14T20:18:46Z")
[QUOTE=Bippy the Beardless] But I want it fresh and chewy and sweet and without beans and whhaaaaaaaa! P.S. this is TMI, too much indigestion. [/QUOTE] As you probably already know, **Bippy** , go to Mitsuwa Supermarket on Saratoga in west San Jose. They’ll have what you crave. In addition, Japantown in San Jose is about to open a new Japanese market called “Nijiya”, which promises to stock all manner of Japanese goodies, including bento boxes and sushi to go. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-food-in-tampopo/368658/16 "2006-08-14T22:00:15Z")
[QUOTE=Bippy the Beardless] But I want it fresh and chewy and sweet and without beans and whhaaaaaaaa! [/QUOTE] Then you need an [electric mochi maker](http://www.amazon.com/Tiger-Electric-Mochi/dp/B000ARIRL2). My aunt has one and it’s awesome. Even in Japan, that’s what it takes to get fresh plain mochi. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2006, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-food-in-tampopo/368658/17 "2006-08-15T00:45:44Z")
[QUOTE=scr4] Then you need an [electric mochi maker](http://www.amazon.com/Tiger-Electric-Mochi/dp/B000ARIRL2). My aunt has one and it’s awesome. Even in Japan, that’s what it takes to get fresh plain mochi. [/QUOTE] I remember ten years ago, the Japanese Club bought one for a thousand dollars!! :eek: