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Mochi pounding at Palolo Chinese Home

By Dennis Oda

Dec. 28, 2019

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Palolo Chinese Home employees and volunteers pound sticky, glutinous rice into delectable mochi to carry on a centuries-old Japanese tradition of mochi pounding. Mochi was later served to the home's residents and their families on Saturday.
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Dale Nakayama, left, and Aaron Shimoda taste the steamed rice to check it for it's sticky consistency. Lori Shimoda, right, keeps a record of the times each batch of rice has been cooking.
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Palolo Chinese Home employees and volunteers mold and shape the mochi rice into flattened balls to fill with tasty fillings inside such as azuki bean paste. Mochi was later served to the home's residents and their families.
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Aaron Shimoda takes a batch of cooked rice to the usu (large mortar) to be pounded by a kine (large wooden mallet). On the left is Dale Nakayama, who checked the cooked rice for it’s proper sticky consistency to make sure it’s cooked just right.
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Jill Nakayama (dark blue apron) and Lori Shimoda served Lorraine Nishiyama (left) and May Takenaka fresh mochi on Saturday.
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Emily Lung swings the kine (large wooden mallet) to pound the hot sticky rice in the usu (large mortar) into mochi while Dale Nakayama turns the rice over between pounds.
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Palolo Chinese Home employees and volunteers mold and shape the mochi rice into flattened balls to fill with tasty fillings such as azuki bean paste. Mochi was later served to the home's residents and their families.
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Sinalei Wagner and Jill Nakayama hold treys of freshly made mochi at Palolo Chinese Home on Saturday.
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Erika Kuo shapes a mochi after filling it with azuki bean paste at Palolo Chinese Home on Saturday.
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