If mochi are literally driving you crazy and you would eat them every day, learn how to make them at home. All it takes to make these soft and delicious treats are a few simple ingredients that you can easily find in Asian food. By preparing them at home you will have the possibility to customize them according to your tastes and to shape, cut or stuff them as you prefer. You will never be tempted to buy ready-made ones again.
Ingrediants
- 160 g of mochiko (sweet rice flour or mochi flour)
- 180 ml of water
- 400 g of granulated sugar
- Cornstarch
- Kinako (toasted soy flour) for sprinkling mochi
Yield: 20 to 50 mochi, based on size
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Make Mochi (Traditional Recipe)
Step 1. Mix the mochiko well with the water to make a soft dough
Pour 160 g of mochiko into a heat-resistant bowl and add 180 ml of water. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mochiko has absorbed all the water. You need to get a homogeneous, soft and elastic dough.
- It is important to use mochiko, or sweet rice flour, also called mochi flour. Don't use glutinous rice flour because it doesn't blend as well and doesn't cook properly.
- If the mochiko still feels dry after mixing it, add more water, one tablespoon at a time.
Step 2. Get ready to steam the dough
Pour a few inches of water (5-7cm) into the bottom of a large pot and place it on the stove. Heat the water over high heat to quickly bring it to a boil, then place the steamer basket and reduce the heat to medium. While the dough is cooking, the water should simmer gently.
Make sure the bottom of the basket does not come into contact with the water below. The basket must be large enough to hold the bowl with the mochi dough
Step 3. Place the bowl in the basket and steam the dough for 20 minutes
When the water simmers at the right rate, put the bowl with the dough directly into the basket. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel, place the lid over the pot, and fold the edges of the cloth over the lid. Set a time of 20 minutes on the kitchen timer and let the dough cook and rise.
- If you don't have a suitable pot and basket, cover the bowl and heat the mochi dough in the microwave for 3.5 minutes.
- The kitchen cloth will absorb the steam from the boiling water, preventing it from accumulating on the lid and falling back onto the dough.
Step 4. Transfer the dough to a small saucepan
Turn off the stove and carefully remove the hot tureen from the basket. Transfer the dough to a saucepan with the help of a spoon and then put it back on the heat.
At this point the dough will have become sticky
Step 5. Heat the dough over medium heat while you stir in the sugar
Prepare 400 g of sugar by the stove. Heat the dough over medium heat and add 1/3 of the sugar. Keep stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then add the remaining sugar several times.
- Over medium heat, it will take about ten minutes to gradually add all the sugar and let it melt.
- In the end the dough will be smooth, sticky and elastic.
Step 6. Dust a baking sheet with cornstarch and put the dough in it
Place the pan on the work surface and dust it with enough cornstarch to cover the bottom. Take a spoon and transfer the warm mochi dough to the pan.
Thanks to the corn starch you will have less effort to shape the sticky dough
Step 7. Cut the dough into small pieces
They don't have to be bigger than a mouthful. Dust a rolling pin (or your hands) with cornstarch and roll out the dough giving it the thickness you prefer. Then take a knife and cut it into evenly sized squares or rectangles. Dust the individual pieces with kinako (toasted soy flour), then transfer them to a tray.
- It is important that the mochi are small in size so as not to run the risk of choking. If the pieces are too large, they can stick to the throat and at that point would be difficult to swallow due to the rubbery texture.
- If you prefer, you can peel off a small amount of dough at a time with your fingers and shape it between your palms to give it the shape of a ball. Continue like this until the dough is done.
Step 8. You can store the mochi for a couple of days
Thanks to the high sugar content it will take some time before they start to dry out and break down. Nonetheless, it is best to eat them as soon as possible. If you want to keep them for a couple of days, put them in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature.
Method 2 of 2: Variations to the Traditional Recipe
Step 1. Add a few drops of an extract of your choice to flavor the mochi dough
Among the recommended aromas are that of strawberry, grapes, almonds and lemon; just a few drops added to the mochiko are enough. Alternatively, you can use a teaspoon (2 g) of matcha tea.
To make the chocolate mochi, melt 45 g of chocolate chips and mix them into the dough with the sugar
Step 2. Shape the mochi with cookie cutters
You can create many fun shapes, just roll out the dough with your hands or with a rolling pin after dusting the dough with corn starch. Once you have reached the desired thickness, create the mochi using many different cookie cutters. Press the molds onto the dough, then lift them and gently push the dough with your finger to detach it from the edges of the molds. Serve the mochi immediately.
You can cut the dough into large squares or small triangles. Or you can make hearts, stars, leaves and flowers with the molds
Step 3. Shape the mochi dough around the red bean paste (azuki) to make the daifukus
Make mochi dough at home and buy or make anko, or sweet red bean paste. Crush a ball of dough and place a spoonful of anko in the center. Wrap the mochi dough around the azuki bean paste, incorporating it completely. Daifukus should be served and eaten immediately.
Step 4. Stuff the mochi with fruit or chocolate
If you want to make them even more delicious, prepare the dough following the traditional recipe, then place a fresh strawberry or blueberry in the center of a disc of dough. Wrap the dough around the fruit incorporating it completely. If you prefer a different filling, you can make or buy a chocolate cream. Freeze small spoonfuls and then wrap the frozen cream with the mochi dough.
You can also freeze small spoonfuls of caramel to use to stuff the mochi
Step 5. Wrap the mochi dough around the ice cream to create a cold dessert
Freeze very small scoops of ice cream. When they are completely solid, wrap them with the mochi dough, incorporating them entirely. Let the mochi cool in the freezer for 2 hours before serving.
- Remove the ice cream filled mochi from the freezer 5 minutes before serving and let them soften at room temperature.
- Mochi filled with ice cream will keep in the freezer for up to two months.
Advice
- You can buy mochiko in Asian grocery stores or online.
- You can make colorful mochi by adding a few drops of food coloring to the dough before shaping it.
