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How is mochi made? (+ easy pre-holiday meals)

How is mochi made? (+ easy pre-holiday meals)

Gyro framework, egg stir fry, using frozen meat, + xantham gum explanation.

Keith McBrayer & Ethan Chlebowski
November 19, 2023

Good morning. If you’re partaking in the Thanksgiving holiday later this week, it might be a cooking-intensive time.

So, today's edition is mostly quick, simple recipes; remember to save some energy for the big day.

TRY SOMETHING NEW 🤯

Tomato & egg stir fry

Tomato & egg is a combination found in almost every cuisine. Some examples are more popular than others, like shakshuka, huevos rancheros, & menemen.

In Chinese households, you’ll find a quick tomato & egg stir fry as a staple easy meal.

As Kenji Lopez Alt advises, it’s common to supplement the tomato flavor with a bit of ketchup — so don’t be alarmed to see that in the ingredient list.

Components

Eggs

2-5 eggs
A spoonful of cornstarch
Seasoning: a dash of white pepper, salt, soy sauce
Cooking oil

Tomatoes

Quarted tomatoes
Optional: a squirt of ketchup

To serve

Sliced scallions, for garnish
Cooked rice

Instructions

1) Beat & scramble the eggs: Season & beat the eggs together until well mixed with the cornstarch. To a wok or pan on high heat, add a splash of oil, and follow with the eggs. Quickly scramble on high heat, forming large curds. Before they are completely cooked through, scrape them into a separate bowl.

2) Stir fry the tomatoes: Add the tomatoes and stir fry until softened. To make them saucier, add a squirt of ketchup.

3) Combine & serve: Return the eggs to the pan and lightly fold them together with the tomatoes.

Serve over cooked rice and garnish with scallions.

THROWBACK TIME 🍳

Frozen meat hacks

If you hate thawing frozen meat from the freezer, then this video is for you. With a bit of prep, you can actually cook meat straight from frozen.

How? Here is a summary of the techniques in the video:

1) Thinly slice meat ahead of time, then freeze into kits.

This works great with steak or chicken. These thin slices sear up quickly and work for stir-fries, cheese steak sandwiches, etc.

2) Freeze meat into thin, flat pieces on a sheet pan, then transfer to a freezer bag.

Butterfly chicken breasts, or premake burger patties, etc. If something is thin enough, it’ll sear up totally fine straight from frozen.

3) Add ground or braised meat to gallon bags, flatten, and score or fold into sections

These flat chunks can be broken off and seared straight from frozen.

Watch the video for demonstrations of these three techniques, and example recipes for each. Here’s one way to use up leftover frozen meat in your freezer:

THE LEFTOVER SHELF 🥡

Gyro-style pita wrap

Thinly sliced frozen meat or leftover, frozen braised meat makes for a great wrap filling.

Gyro components

Pita bread, warmed
Meat of choice, cooked
Fresh vegetables: sliced onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, or lettuce
Sauce: try tzatziki or a yogurt-based sauce
Foil for wrapping

To assemble

Warm the bread & meat: warm up the pita and warm/cook the meat.

Wrap & serve: To a square of foil, add the pita and top with meat, vegetables, and sauce. Wrap up, let steam for a few minutes, then enjoy.

Note: Don’t skimp on the foil — wrapping matters!

FOOD TRENDS EXPLAINED 🚀

Mochi Madness

What is mochi?

From the frozen aisle to our social media feeds, mochi treats seem to be everywhere now.

Mochi is a traditional Japanese ingredient made from glutinous sticky rice known as mochigome (not to be confused with glutenous — mochi itself doesn’t contain any gluten, which comes from wheat).

To make mochi, the glutinous rice is cooked and pounded until it becomes a smooth and elastic mass.
The pounding aerates the gelatinized rice starch, yielding a distinct texture that is soft, chewy, and slightly sticky.

The resulting mochi dough can be flavored, colored, or shaped into various forms.

It can be enjoyed on its own, in sweet or savory dishes, or famously, as a wrapper for ice cream balls.

So it is worth trying?

Definitely. It’s a great way to appreciate chewy textures in food. Thanks to its rising popularity, you should be able to find mochi products in a nearby supermarkets.

Or, you can make it fairly easily at home by buying pre-ground sticky rice flour known as mochiko.

READER Q&A 🧠

What is Xantham gum?

"Should I be concerned about Xantham gum listed as an ingredient on a label?" - Jimmy C.

Answer:

Not really. Xantham gum is a thickening agent and stabilizer derived from the fermentation of carbohydrates, typically from corn, soy, or wheat. It’s commonly seen in shelf-stable sauces & baked goods.

Unlike other ingredients buried deep in a list of ingredients, you can buy xantham gum in the baking aisle, just like you would a bag of flour.

In restaurant settings, it’s often used to keep frozen drinks from separating — you can thank the stuff for the texture of frappes, milkshakes, and frozen margaritas.

Is it worth picking up?

Probably not. While it can help improve the texture and structure of baked goods, especially gluten-free versions, it’s a tricky ingredient to use at home.

As a thickening agent, it clumps very easily, and tiny quantities can make liquids overly thickened and gummy. Don’t risk it on your gravy this year:

You're better off using a corn starch slurry or a flour roux for thickening purposes.

READER PHOTO SUBMISSION OF THE WEEK 🏆

First place focaccia

This week’s dinner winner is Michael Z, who baked a batch of Ethan’s focaccia with olives and a Parmesan crust and used it to make some Italian sandwiches. Well done!

Reply with a picture of the best meal you made this week for a chance to be featured in a future email.