Inspired in Kyoto Japan

Well I never…have you ever seen a sight more enchanting and ethereal as the cherry blossom orchards of Japan?

It was all I could think of as I walked through the streets of Kyoto, my gaze lingering on the delicate branches of the fairy tale canopy overhead, laden with candy floss-pink flowers. What a sight to behold!

The only thing that could distract me from this wonder were the sights and sounds of another truly out-of-this-world spectacle; a street food festival right here in Kyoto that the beauty of the cherry blossoms had led me right into the heart of!

And what a feast of the senses I had stumbled upon. Oh to be able to try it all!

I walked past stalls and stalls filled with everything from fragrant peaches to vibrant matcha and hearty yuba croquettes. Time, I decided, for lunch! I soon settled on a dish of black pepper stir fried udon noodles to fuel my explorations as I made my way through the festival.

But wait a minute, what was this?! Right before me, displayed carefully on a vendor’s stall, was a selection of some kind of crispy, puffed delicacy I hadn’t come across before in all my travels.

I simply had to find out what they were!

It didn’t take long before I was embroiled in a fervent conversation with Haru, the local vendor, and I discovered that these delicacies were inspired by traditional Japanese rice cakes and were made using authentic Mochi sticky rice.

When Haru offered me a chance to sample a flavour, how could I possibly say no?!

The mochi rice bite as he called it, had been gently fried in sesame oil and then dipped in Teriyaki sauce; it had the perfect balance of tangy saltiness teamed with the delicate crunch of the sesame oil. It was truly a taste to behold!

“Why Haru, the flavour combinations for these rice bites must be limitless!” I cried, as I thought of all the wonderful taste sensations I had experienced on my travels so far.

“This I must write down!” I exclaimed, reaching for my trusty notebook in the depths of my knapsack and hastily scribbling ‘Mochi Rice Bites: Flavour Combinations from Heaven’ with ‘Teriyaki Mochi Rice Bites’ straight underneath it. With my udon noodle lunch still fresh in my memory, it only felt right that ‘Oriental Inspired Black Pepper’ made it onto the list too.

What else would pair perfectly with these crunchy, sticky rice bites I thought? “Aha!” I exclaimed, startling poor Haru in the process, as memories of my recent trip to Thailand came flooding back. “It has to be Thai Tom Yum!”

I simply knew that the aromatic lemongrass and classic Thai spices of Tom Yum would be the perfect fit for a trio of flavours for what would soon become “Mr Filbert’s Mochi Rice Bites” – a range of Asian inspired savoury snacks that can be enjoyed anywhere!