rice gruel with mochi
A simple rice porridge containing pieces of mochi (rice cake). A warming dish often made at home.
On cold mornings, I warm up with mochi rice gruel.
azuki bean gruel with mochi (eaten on the 15th of the first month)
A traditional seasonal dish for the first full moon of the lunar year (小正月). Made with azuki beans and mochi, often called 望粥 (mochigayu) in this context.
On the 15th day of the first month, we eat azuki bean mochi gruel and pray for good health.
Sweet azuki bean soup with mochi, served as a dessert. 餅粥 is a savory or lightly seasoned gruel, not a sweet soup.
Standard kanji spelling for mochi rice gruel.
Ateji spelling associated with the traditional azuki bean gruel eaten on the 15th day of the first month.
Compound of 餅 (mochi, 'rice cake') and 粥 (kayu, 'gruel'). The ateji spelling 望粥 for the seasonal dish uses 望 (full moon) to reflect the lunar calendar tradition.