Global Goodies: Mochi (Japan) & Tteok (Korea)

I love mochi. This web page has a little description of it and you can also learn more about it here on wikipedia. Basically mochi is made out of glutinous rice - so you also come across mochi labeled glutinous rice balls - and can be stuffed with sweet red bean paste. By the way red bean paste ice cream is fabulous.

I’ve eaten mochi that is tinted a kind of olive green, and also the standard white color. There might even be some that are tinted a light shade of pink but perhaps I’m imagining that - [edit: nope, saw pics of baby pink and blue mochi]. In any case, the mochi that I have eaten is soft and very chewy, sticky to a point even. My favorite part of eating mochi is that bean paste center, which can either be silky smooth or a little chunky with bigger bits of red bean incorporated into the finer puree. Our trips to the Asian market are rarely complete without gazing at, and perhaps purchasing these exotic tasty treats.

In South Korea, we also have rice cakes which I love, love, love maybe even more than mochi, and they are called tteok [also spelled deok or dduk]. But I think that’s most likely due to national pride and strong nostalgic twinges of rememberance, hazy memories of eating sweet filling rice cakes at home, bought by my parents at probably the only Korean grocery store in the New Orleans area. I also have black and white photographs that help me “remember” eating tteok with my late grandparents in Seoul when my sister and I were just toddlers. I am sure that those were simple yet joyous experiences shared with my beloved grandparents and sis, and those most authentic cakes must have been amazing to eat.

You can read up on these fantastic creations here and here. There are so many varieties of tteok it can boggle your senses.

Until recently, I would sometimes mistakenly refer to tteok as mochi, because as a younger person, when we would eat mochi, I thought of them as tteok and vice versa! So these labels became interchangeable in my mind. But tteok and mochi are not very similar at all other than they are made from glutinous rice. Although some types of one like this

do resemble some kinds of the other, at least for me.
I can find tteok here at two grocery stores, each about 20 miles or so away. One of those cakes reminds me so much of the kind I used to eat, which was probably my all-time favorite, with my parents. These sweet cakes with an amber-colored rice are studded with pine nuts, sesame seeds, and bits of sweet red beans [I think], and the whole concoction is slicked with an oil of some sort [I think again] - perhaps sesame oil? I just know that I need to finish the cake by the next day or else it will spoil. One side note about pine nuts - as an adult shopping for myself, I came to realize just how expensive pine nuts are, but when I lived at home and my parents bought a container of them from time to time, I was in hog heaven. I would eat them just like peanuts - shoveling them in a handful at a time! Teehee, naughty child I was.

(Photo of the huge variety of tteok is from wikipedia)
(Photos of tteok at bottom are from Life in Korea)

Find high quality Mochi here at PierMall.com.

This post was originally published on snackfeast blog. Reproduced with permission. Thank you Geri!

Dan Shen - A Blood Invigorator

In Tranditional Chinese Medicine, Dan Shen, Salvia miltiorrhiza, has been used to prevent and treat heart conditions and strokes. It is known as a heart tonic. Dan Shen helps the cardiac muscles maintain a regular rhythm, and also strengths and tones the heart to maintain a steady and regular beat, resulting in increased blood circulation.

Dan Shen can prevent the formation of clots in the bloodstream and reduces blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. As a powerful anti-oxidant, Dan Shen is used to enhance the heart-healthy effect of unsaturated fatty acids and protect heart and nerve cells from free-radical damage.

Many clinical tests with Dan Shen for angina, stroke, and phlebitis have taken place in China, Japan and many other countries. Testing results that in the cases of angina, about 90% of those tested were significantly helped, and 80% of arrhythmias were corrected or at least improved. In many cases, the mitral valves of the heart have actually shown to have been helped over long term use correcting many problems. Animal experiments indicate that it may prevent recurrence of blockages after angioplasty.

Dan Shen is also helpful and beneficial to the overall functioning of the other organs within the human body, such as strengthening the liver and stimulating the production for bile. It has been shown clinically to be effective in treating chronic hepatitis. It’s also been reported to be effective in suppressing fibrosis in the liver.

Dan Shen is useful in treating menopause problems and uterine fibroids. It has been noted that this herb “releases” congealed blood, as shown by dark-red clots during menses, and eases pelvic congestion. Dan Shen is also used to treat skin problems. It is applied as a paste to the skin that has blotches or bruises. In addition skin problem such as eczema, and psoriasis are also treated with Dan Shen.

Dan Shen is generally not recommended for pregnant and breast feeding women. Always consult you doctor before taking Dan Shen or any other herb medicine and supplements.

Find Dan Shen Pian - Salvia Miltiorrhiza for Circulation - 60 Tablets at piermall.com