"Three of the women flatten each steamed, pounded and mashed rice cake until it reaches the tips of their fingers and across to the top of their wrists. In the center, they place heaps of fresh fruit and cream cheese; ground black sesame seeds and peanuts; or clumps of salted egg and pork floss the color of sunshine. They carefully stretch and fold the mochi over the filling, creating a soft-ball sized sphere that's just shy of bursting and nearly translucent."
"Four women crowd the tight space behind the counter at Nuo Mochi, a shop that opened on Atlantic Boulevard in the heart of Monterey Park late last year. A throng of customers cranes their necks to peak inside the glass while a line of about 50 people encroaches on the store, waiting to place their orders at the two computer kiosks stationed at the entrance."
Nuo Mochi on Atlantic Boulevard in Monterey Park produces oversized, stuffed mochi filled with seasonal fruits, flavored cream cheese, ground black sesame, peanuts, salted egg and pork floss. Staff handcraft steamed, pounded rice cakes that are stretched thin and folded around generous fillings into soft-ball sized translucent spheres. The assembly requires multiple workers flattening, filling, folding and packaging each mochi before serving customers. The shop attracts long lines of about 50 people, crowded storefronts, and viral social-media videos. Owner Yongfang Liu began making mochi inspired by Hunan street vendors and opened the shop late last year.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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