Oshiruko
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Oshiruko(お汁粉), or shiruko (汁粉) is a traditional Japanese dessert. It is an azuki bean soup with mochi, served in a bowl. There are different patterns to oshiruko, such as oshiruko with chestnuts, or with shiratamas instead of mochi. It is loved by many Japanese, especially during cold weather. The half-melted sticky rice cake and the sweet, warm red bean soup is thought by many to be an absolute delight. Some Japanese-style cafes serve oshiruko with umeboshi as a side dish. This is because oshiruko is so sweet that the taste gets tiring after a while, so the customer can refresh their palette with the sour umeboshi.
Oshiruko was featured in the 1985 "Noodle Western" movie Tampopo. In that movie, an old man ordered a bowl of oshiruko that he was not supposed to have. He tasted a little of it before choked by the sticky mochi. The restaurant owner, who knew nothing about the Heimlich maneuver, used a vacuum cleaner to suck the piece of mochi from the old man's trachea.ja:汁粉