Happy St. Patrick's Day from The Food O'Librarian
Today, I'm celebrating my Japanese and Irish roots.
What?
Yes, I may be 100% Okinawan, but somehow, my grandparents named my father Patrick!
My grandfather traveled from Okinawa, Japan to Hawaii in the early 1900's to work on the sugar plantations...as did many Issei (first generation Japanese Americans). Later, he went back to the little island of Okinawa and met my grandmother. They settled in California as farmers and began to raise their family of six kids. When son #3 came along, they named him Patrick. They were Christian (named the first two sons John and David), but not Catholic so I'm not quite sure where the name came from. However, I attribute this bit of Irish to my craving for some corned beef and cabbage every March 17th. And the McDonald's Shamrock Shake. :)
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Recipe:
Find the recipe here on my friend Azusa's blog, Humblebean. Check out all her beautiful photos and food! This recipe is gluten-free too!
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21 comments:
I am a Mochi fanatic! Seriously - I love that stuff! These are so cute and festive! Happy St Pattys Day!
Ooh, a different mochi cake recipe. I've always used evaporated milk/butter. I want to try out this variation, especially since I don't always have evaporated milk lying around. Do you prefer this version or the butter/evap milk version?
wow splendidi!!! complimenti!
Happy St Patrick's Day Mary! These are so cute - love that they're green :)
awesome story and cool to hear about your background!! The cupcakes look yummy, and I love the subtle green shade. Beautiful! I have green tea powder at home but didn't think to use it for st pattys day treat! Next year!
kirbie, we have such similar loves - matcha and mochi! this recipe is less "buttery" and rich. it is denser than the others. however, it was tasty. azusa says you need to eat them in 2 days so they don't keep. i would try and see if you like them. i like things not too sweet and rich, so they fit my palate! - mary
Hi Mary, I'm a long time reader and first time poster. :) I'm also a librarian who loves to bake and cook so I love reading your blog. I live on the east coast in a not so big city and haven't been able to locate green tea powder. I'm sure I can get it online, but I'm wondering if you have a brand recommendation. Thanks for all your inspiration!
Mary, I will toast you and your Irish roots tonite at Tom Bergins!
I've had a box of sweet rice flour in my pantry forever with the intentions of making a mochi cake. Green tea --- you have my number sista...I've got to try this.
Damn I thought these were made of ground up leprechauns.
Matcha... I am STILL looking for that stuff around here. Now I'm going to break down and Amazon-it! Beautiful green cupcakes!!! Truly! And a wonderful family history to boot!
Hi, this is my 1st time here, I made this earlier but have yet to post(adapted from another blog), it was matcha and red bean mochi cake, I love it. Next time, I will try other flavours that you posted here. I will come back again to check what you baking the next..
Hey Kirbie, These are drier than the other mochi recipe. There is NO butter in them. Some might find that dry...but my palate likes things light. JustJenn says matcha dries things out too. I suggest giving them a try. I made 1/2 a batch and got 12 cupcakes. Azusa (Humblebean) says to eat within 2 days. - mary the food librarian
I never knew you could make a mochi cupcake. My husband loves mochi and has me drive to a Japanese store which is over an hour away just to stock up on it. I think it is funny how we all consider Mc Donald's Shamrock shake a St. Patrick's Day tradition.
Oh ahh. We are on the same wave length. I just made mochi cakes as well. :)
They sound delicious! I finally found matcha powder locally; now I need the sweet rice flour. Looks like I should return to the little market and see if they carry it.
Hi Mary,
I really liked the background...not many people can combine Irish and Japanese in a story! In my case it's Norwegian and Vietnamese...but I have such a thing for Japanese food (yes, beyond sushi!) and matcha has its own special place in my heart. These look so light and beautifully green, I can't wait to try them. Just need the sweet rice flour. I wonder whether I could use un-Japanese flour instead?
PS: Have you seen this gorgeous brioche made with matcha: http://www.foodbeam.com/2010/03/11/she-is-the-liquid-princess-brioches-marbrees-au-the-matcha/
these look great! i just bought my first bag of green tea powder so will definitely use this recipe :O) thanks for sharing!!
I love matcha and love mochi, and would love to try one of these! Delicious creation.
I just saw these and HAD to comment - I love matcha, and can't wait to try these! Everytime I can find it, I love a matcha green tea smoothie or milkshake :)
Marina (comment #7)...(sorry for the delay in my response): I don't have a favorite brand. My Japanese market has one or two brands in their tea aisle. Both are about $10 for a small bottle. I suggest you get one that is NOT sweetened, is for tea ceremony, and is made in Japan. Good luck! - mary the food librarian
Happy St Patrick's Day! This is absolutely lovely! It certainly caught my attention. Matcha and mochi are 2 of my favourite things, but I would never have thought of making a cupcake out of it. I did a compilation on St Patrick's Day recipe earlier on, and this certainly went into that list. I love how this happens to be gluten-free too. Thanks for sharing!
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