Trying out First Kitchen’s tsukimi mochi burgers for a taste of Japanese autumn

Unique burger is in the running for SoraNews24’s Best Tsukimi Burger.

Japanese fast food chains like McDonald’s, KFC, and Mos Burger have rolled out their tsukimi burgers for 2023, but First Kitchen has a unique ingredient that the others haven’t tried yet: mochi. Starting on September 7, First Kitchen released their tsukimi-themed burgers including the Tsukimi Mocchi Burger (870 yen [US$5.93]) and the Tsukimi Mocchi Chicken Tatsuta Burger (740 yen). And in traditional SoraNews24 fashion, we tried both out.

There are versions of each burger without the signature tsukimi egg meant to represent the autumn moon, but our Japanese-language reporter Egawa Tasuku opted for the eggy versions for this taste test.

Tasuku was intrigued by the mochi. He’d heard of rice burgers before, and since mochi is made from rice, he could see it working. But just how well would it work? He started with the Tsukimi Mocchi Burger to find out.

▼ “This product contains mochi. Please exercise caution when eating.”

The warning sticker startled him a bit, but it made sense, considering the yearly deaths in Japan that result from people eating mochi during the New Year holidays.

Even the buns used for this burger are special; Tasuku heard they had soy sauce in the dough.

Interestingly, it looked like your run-of-the-mill cheeseburger from the side.

But when he opened the burger, he was hit with a flash of white. Tasuku thought it was mochi at first, but it turned out to be egg whites.

The yolk was on the burger, boiled quite hard to create a moon-like visual.

So where was the mochi? Tasuku peered under the yolk and…

…gotcha.

It turned out to be the glue that held the beef patty to the egg yolk. Between the mochi and the patty was also a thin layer of miso sauce, which Tasuku anticipated would give the burger a very Japanese-style taste.

Tasuku took a bite and instantly declared it absolutely delectable. The saltiness of the buns was actually perfect for the mochi and beef combination, and Tasuku could taste the bonito and konbu kelp flavoring used to fry the mochi.

And as expected, the miso sauce added the perfectly Japanese-cuisine-like touch to the burger. The egg white didn’t have much presence in the dish–which Tasuku preferred–but the egg yolk was hearty and fluffy.

This burger may be a bit pricy at 870 yen a piece, but Tasuku thinks it’s worth it for its tasty and filling factors. He would purchase it again.

Next, he tried the Tsukimi Mocchi Tatsuta Chicken. Tatsuta Chicken has a crispy fried shell, but besides that, the burger toppings were the same as the beef patty version. The plump chicken had a contrasting and entertaining mouthfeel to the Tsukimi Mocchi burger.

It was really difficult for Tasuku to say which was better because he enjoyed them so much. If you’re looking to save money, he recommends the Tatsuta Chicken version as it’s 140 yen cheaper. They’ll both fill you up and give you a taste of autumn. These are being sold for a limited time only, so if you’re in Japan, look for a First Kitchen near you!

Photos ©SoraNews24
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