Mochi is a chewy Japanese dessert made from mochi gomme, a sweet type of rice. The Japanese call it “ichigo daifuku” or “wagashi”. Learn a little more about this amazingly delicious yet simple dessert, explore a little about the common ingredients, and make your own mochi with our easy recipes.
How can you make your own mochi?
The simple Japanese rice cake mochi is reminiscent of tasteless rubber snacks. The mochi dough tastes a little like marshmallows with delicate, sweet and starchy undertones. While the rice cake itself doesn't have much flavor, it's the texture that sets it apart from other cakes and leaves people wanting more. It has a long history in Japan, and although it is eaten all year round, it is particularly eaten around Japanese New Year.
Make the simple Japanese rice cake
Mochi have a soft, chewy outer layer and a deliciously gooey filling made from sweetened red bean paste. Freezing the red bean paste before using is optional but makes the process easier. If you want to make a sakura mochi that is pink, just like the sakura (cherry blossoms), add 2 drops of food coloring to the dough. Trust us: Making mochi yourself is much easier than you think.
Preparation:30 minutes
Cooking time:5 minutes
Freeze:1 hour
Servings:8
Ingredients:
- 320g sweetened red bean paste
- 130 g sticky Reismehl
- 1 tsp green tea powder (Matcha)
- 240ml water
- 50g sugar
- 60 g cornstarch, for rolling out the dough
Preparation:
- Wrap the red bean paste in aluminum foil and place in the freezer for 1 hour or until solid.
- Mix the glutinous rice flour and green tea powder thoroughly in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir in water and then sugar until mixture is smooth.
- Cover the bowl with cling film, prick with a toothpick and place the bowlinto the microwavefor 3 minutes and 30 seconds.
- Meanwhile, remove the red bean paste from the freezer and divide it into 8 equal balls. Set them aside.
- Remove the rice flour mixture from the microwave, stir, and heat, covered, for another 15 to 30 seconds.
- Dust a work surface with cornstarch. Roll about 2 tablespoons of the hot rice flour mixture into a ball. Flatten the ball and place a ball of frozen red bean paste in the center. Press the dough around the bean paste until it is completely covered. Sprinkle the ball with additional cornstarch and place the mochi, seam side down, in a silicone muffin tin to prevent them from sticking.
- Repeat the process to make the remaining mochi.
Make your own strawberry mochi
The combination of sweet fruit and chewy rice cake makes strawberry mochi taste like strawberry gummies with a creamy filling.
Preparation:10 minutes
Cooking time:50 minutes
Freeze:20 minutes
Servings:8
Ingredients for the mochi:
- 90 g strawberries, washed and stemmed
- 90 g Milch
- 40g sugar
- 100 g sticky Reismehl
- 30 g cornstarch
- 30 g unsalted butter
Ingredients for the filling:
- 150g whipped cream
- 15g sugar
- 4 tbsp strawberry jam (or you can use fresh fruit cut into small pieces instead)
Extra:
- 60 g glutinous rice flour (so that the dough doesn't get sticky)
Preparation:
- Cook 60g glutinous rice flour over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it smells like popcorn, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Add 15g sugar to 150g whipping cream and beat until stiff peaks form. Store them in the freezer.
- In a microwave-safe container, weigh out 100g glutinous rice flour and 30g cornstarch and set aside.
- Place 90g strawberries, 90g milk and 40g sugar in a blender. Puree until everything is smooth.
- Pour the strawberry milk into the container with the glutinous rice flour and cornstarch and stir until the mixture reaches a yogurt-like consistency. Cover the container with microwave-safe plastic wrap. Poke a few holes in the foil with a toothpick.
- Heat the mixture in the microwave for 3 minutes. Take them out to check the consistency. Poke the mochi dough with a toothpick. If the tip of the toothpick is dry, the mochi is finished cooking, but if it is wet, the mixturewith the cling filmCover again and microwave for another 30 seconds.
- Take the mochi out of the microwave and add 30g butter on top. When the dough is no longer too hot to handle, knead it until all the butter has been absorbed and you can stretch it as long as your forearm.
- Place the dough on a work surface floured with cooked glutinous rice flour and cut it into 8 equal portions.
- Roll out the mochi dough into balls 5cm in diameter. Place each piece on a soup ladle or round bowl. Place about 2 tablespoons of whipped cream and 1 tablespoon of strawberry jam in the center of the mochi wrap.
- Pull the edges of the wrapper together to cover the filling and pinch the edges together to seal well.
- Place the mochi in the freezer for 20 minutes for the best texture and flavor.
