Make Your Own Bunny Mochi

At a traditional Japanese Otsukimi (Moon Viewing) festival you’ll often see wooden platforms stacked high with round dumplings of mochi, called tsukimi dango. These treats are meant to evoke the sight of a full moon, and are often filled with red bean paste or other sweets, like chocolate. You will also see many depictions of rabbits – in Japan, rabbits are strongly associated with the moon. It’s said that you can see the silhouette of a rabbit pounding mochi in the traditional fashion in the shadows of the full moon.

Ms. Sumiko Wada, Official Chef at Consul General Kayoko Fukushima’s residence, has combined these two ideas to create cute rabbit-shaped mochi. All of the ingredients should be available at local Asian markets (such as Sonobana market in Nashville). We’ve included photos of the ingredients to help you find them.

We hope you will make some bunny mochi yourself and enjoy the sights and tastes of a traditional tsukimi festival!