Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made of mochigome (もち米), a short-grain japonica glutinous rice, and sometimes other ingredients such as water, sugar, and cornstarch. The steamed rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape. In Japan, it is traditionally made in a ceremony called mochitsuki . While eaten year-round, mochi is a traditional food for the Japanese New Year, and is commonly sold and eaten during that time.
Rice cake kirimochi or kakumochi
Rice cake marumochi
Steamed rice in a stone mortar being mashed with a wooden kine (pestle) during mochitsuki
Making mochi with modern equipment
A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten. Common variations include cakes made with rice flour, those made from ground rice, and those made from whole grains of rice compressed together or combined with some other binding substance.
A birthday cake of tteok (Korean rice cake)
Puffed rice cakes, sold commercially in North America and Europe
Num Plae Ai (ផ្លែអាយ) Khmer sticky rice balls with coconut topping
Ciba cake with Brown Sugar and roasted soybean flour