Yuki & Love is a trademark of San Shu Gong Food Co. Ltd, a company based in Taipei, Taiwan who have been dedicated to the production of Mochi and other snack food for over 25 years.
I’ve always liked the idea of Mochi, it always looked really yummy and doesn’t really have a comparison in Western dining to my knowledge. I recently watched this video by Tasty, a subsidiary of BuzzFeed which focuses on food related content. The video had one of the hosts, Inga, make a really cute Mochi seal for another host, Rie. This was the final push to try Mochi for myself so I was lucky enough that Tempo Tea Bar in Glasgow stocks a variety of Mochi products from the Yuki & Love brand. Speaking of Tempo, we’ve talked about them before, and you can read more about them by clicking here.
Japanese Style Red Bean Mochi
Okay. Since this is the first one on the list, and it’s my first time trying Mochi I’ll try to talk about more than just the taste. So it has a very distinct smell, one which is not overpowering but is detectable. It’s a very savoury smell, no doubt because of the glutinous rice which makes up a large part of the dish. Now on to the visuals, they do not look exactly like what’s on the box, although to be fair things rarely do. They are flatter and less coated in rice, but they also look a little more gelatinous which overall makes for a nice visual. Now for the taste test. They are chewy, perhaps a little chewier than I was expecting, which I guess is the result of the more gelatinous appearance but in terms of texture or ‘mouth feel’ it’s nice. The taste reminds me somewhat of semolina or rice pudding but somehow even better. My first bite didn’t capture any of the red bean paste because it’s buried deeper in the Mochi but once I tried it I really liked it, because the smooth and rich flavour of the paste really kicks things up a notch.
Japanese style Taro Mochi
So I don’t know how these stack up when compared to traditional or homemade Mochi, but I personally have been enjoying them, especially the nice, gelatinous consistency. The Taro Mochi is good, not overly chewy, and a reasonable amount of rice coats the outside, with a nice, thick Taro filling. Speaking of which, I don’t recall having Taro before, but it’s very pleasant. I’m unsure if it’s been sweetened or not, or if the sweetness comes from the Mochi insteld, but the sweetness infused throughout blends well with the root vegetable to create a smooth, creamy, delectable treat with an enjoyable texture and consistency.
Japanese Style Sesame Mochi
So the first thing that hits you about this Mochi is the powerful smell of the sesame, which I found to be quite pleasant. Something else I really liked is that unlike the other Mochi so far which had a relatively plain coating, this one added in a different texture and consistency which really added to the whole thing. Anyway, taste wise, it was very earthy and savoury, with just a subtle sweetness to offset it. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would say that especially compared to the other Mochi I’ve tried, this one is more of an acquired taste and it has a heavy aroma and flavour that reminds me of peanuts. But overall this is great.
Green Tea Mochi
Much like with the sesame Mochi I tried before, this one has a very distinct aroma, which isn’t as strong as the sesame street but is enjoyable in a totally different way. The smooth subtle flavours of the green tea work really well with the sweetness and texture of the Mochi. It’s fresh and invigorating, and again much like the sesame is unique and for others might be an acquired taste but I really enjoyed it.
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