Homemade Mochi Recipes

HOW TO: MAKE MOCHI

Steps:

• Prepare mochi mixture. Add rice flour, corn flour, sugar, ¼ tsp oil and water, mix well and allow this mixture to rest for 30 minutes.
• Steam mochi dough. Place the mixture in a steamer, cover with a clean cloth and steam for 15 minutes. Once the mixture is cooked, remove from steamer. Add in the remaining oil and mix well. Leave to cool.
• Knead the mochi. Transfer the mixture out onto a wax-paper lined traywhen warm enough to handle. Knead and stretch until the mixture is smooth and elastic, about 6-8 mins. Place the mochi in a bowl, cover with cling wrap and rest in the refrigerator for 15 mins.

HOMEMADE MOCHI

Steps:

• For the mochi dough base: Wash the rice gently until the water runs clear, 5 to 8 times, then drain. Cook the rice with 2 1/2 cups water in a rice cooker according to the manufacturer directions for sushi/sweet rice, about 30 minutes.
• Place the cooked rice in a wooden or stone bowl. (I don't recommend stainless steel or plastic bowls, which will make the rice wet or too soft.) Smash the rice with a thick wooden stick or pestle. Use your hands to turn the rice and continue to pound with the stick until it is a smooth and sticky dough, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Portion out 20 to 24 mochi, about 2 tablespoons of dough per portion. Have a small bowl of water nearby to lightly wet hands if the dough is too sticky. Shape each portion into a round patty about 1 1/2 inches thick and dust each side of the mochi with mochiko or potato starch.
• For the mochi toppings: To make a sweet miso sauce, combine the miso, sugar and sake in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add your desired number of plain mochi and grill, brushing with soy sauce a couple of times on each side, until the mochi are caramelized, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
• Brush some of the remaining plain mochi (reserve some of them to serve with the sweet toppings) with about 1 tablespoon of the sweet miso sauce and top with a sprinkle of shichimi. To serve the savory mochi, wrap the soy-grilled and sweet miso-glazed mochi in nori and place on a plate or platter.
• For the sweet mochi toppings: Mix the kinako with the sugar in a small bowl. Dip to coat both sides of your desired number of mochi. Top each remaining plain mochi with adzuki paste, then sprinkle with the remaining kinako sugar, if desired. Serve on a plate or platter.

MOCHI

Steps:

• In a bowl (I use a souffle-size bowl, around 2 cups) stir together the rice flour and sugar.
• While mixing with a spoon or small stiff spatula, pour in the boiling water.
• Stir in clockwise direction until the lumps disappear, and the batter is slightly elasticky, about 2 minutes (note: it will become difficult to stir, but try your best anyway!).
• Cover the container with plastic wrap, and microwave on HIGH for 2-4 minutes, depending on your microwave.
• Meanwhile, grease a ziploc bag well.
• Invert the bag (oil side out), and remove the mochi from the bowl into the bag (you can let it cool a bit before you do this, but the more you cool it, the harder the bowl will become to clean =/). Don't burn yourself!
• While the mochi is still warm, start kneading. To knead: Stretch and flatten the dough inside the bag with the palm of your hand, then pick up the bag at one corner, shake it so that it rolls into a ball again, then repeat. You can also knead it by placing the mochi into a greased bowl, and knead it as you would a normal dough. Knead for about 7~10 minutes, or to the consistency (chewiness) you want.
• To prepare the coating: Process the peanuts in a blender or food processor, and spread the powder out in a plate. Do not add sugar to the coating! Because the sugar will dissolve with the moisture in the mochi, making it super sticky.
• Pull off a teaspoonful-sized mochi ball with your hand, and coat in peanut powder. Alternatively, if you prepared it inside a bag, cut off a 1/4" corner, and squeeze from the bag. Separate the balls with greased scissors, or with chopsticks =P.
• Enjoy!
• Variations: Instead of using a coating, you could also wrap sweet red bean paste inside the mochi for daifukus =).

EASY MOCHI

Steps:

• Wrap red bean paste in aluminum foil and place in the freezer for at least 3 hours. Mix sweet rice flour and green tea powder thoroughly in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl. Stir in water, then sugar. Mix until smooth. Cover bowl with plastic wrap.
• Cook the rice flour mixture in the microwave for 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Meanwhile, remove red bean paste from the freezer and divide paste into 8 equal balls. Set aside. Stir rice flour mixture and heat for another 15 to 30 seconds.
• Dust work surface with cornstarch. While the mochi is still hot from the microwave, begin rolling balls the size of about 2 tablespoons. Flatten the mochi ball and place 1 frozen red bean paste ball in the center. Pinch the mochi over the red bean paste until the paste is completely covered. Sprinkle with additional cornstarch and place mochi seam side down in a paper muffin liner to prevent sticking. Repeat until all the mochi and red bean paste is used.

ICE CREAM MOCHI RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Scoop & Freeze your ice cream: Using a muffin tin lined with muffin cups, scoop in your favorite flavor of ice cream in each mold. We recommend using an ice cream scoop that is 1oz in size. Place muffin tin back in the freezer and let it harden for about one hour.
• Make mochi dough: Mix together Sweet rice flour with water, sugar, and 1 teaspoon of matcha powder until very smooth. You can use a whisk with a bowl and strain through a sieve if there are any lumps, or blend together in a blender until smooth.
• Dust a clean working surface generously with a sieve using cornstarch or potato starch.
• Pour the rice flour mixture into a small pot and cook on medium heat stirring constantly with a rubber spatula until the mixture thickens. It will start to get stickier and transparent and glossy.
• Pour the mixture into a microwave-safe bowl, covered with plastic, and cook at 1-minute intervals. Once the mochi dough is halfway transparent cook in 15-30 seconds increments, stirring in between until fully transparent and glossy.
• Pour the cooked mochi on the starched surface and let the steam release for about one minute. Dust the surface of the mochi dough with more starch powder.
• Using a rolling pin, roll out to ½ inch thickness. With a pizza cutter, cut out 3 inch by 3 inch squares. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.
• Assemble mochi: Pick up one mochi square and place it in your palm. Place the scoop of Ice Cream in the center of the mochi square and connect the four seams with your other hand. If too sticky, keep using the starch for your fingers!
• Blot the seamed surface on the starched surface. Cut off any excess mochi dough if necessary.
• Enjoy!

MOCHI DOUGHNUTS

Steps:

• Whisk 1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. (170 g) mochiko (sweet rice flour) and 1 cup (120 g) tapioca starch (tapioca flour) in a small bowl to combine.
• Bring ⅔ cup whole milk, ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar, 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Remove from heat, add dry ingredients, and stir with a wooden until a lumpy paste forms. (Mixture will be dry in spots and hard to combine, but don't worry; this is normal.)
• Transfer dough to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed to release some steam and cool slightly, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add 1 large egg and mix (still on medium speed) until combined, about 2 minutes. Add 2 tsp. baking powder and mix until combined and dough is sticky but smooth, about 30 seconds. Place a piece of plastic directly on top of dough and let rest 15 minutes.
• Pour vegetable oil (about 8 cups) into a large pot to come 2" up sides; fit pot with thermometer and heat oil over medium until thermometer registers 350°.
• If making doughnut holes, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. If making doughnut rings, cut a large piece of parchment paper into nine 4x4" squares and set aside. Using a biscuit cutter or drinking glass as a guide, draw a 3" circle on 1 square; this will be your guide.
• To shape ring doughnuts, lightly oil your hands and scoop out teaspoonfuls of dough (8 g per piece if you have a kitchen scale) and roll into balls. Place guide underneath another parchment square and arrange 8 balls around the circle, making sure they are touching. Transfer parchment with doughnut ring to a rimmed baking sheet. Repeat rolling and shaping process to make 7 more doughnuts.
• Working with 1 doughnut ring at a time, carefully pick up a parchment square and lower it, doughnut side down, into oil. Fry about 45 seconds, then carefully remove parchment with tongs and discard. Continue to fry doughnut until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side (do not flip too early or doughnut may break apart). Carefully transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
• To shape doughnut holes, lightly oil your hands and scoop out a tablespoon of dough (18 g per piece) and roll into balls. Place balls on prepared baking sheet.
• Working in batches, lower dough balls into oil with a slotted spoon and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown all over, about 3 minutes. Carefully transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
• If using 1 Tbsp. freeze-dried raspberries or black sesame seeds, finely grind in a spice mill (or, with a mortar and pestle if using the raspberries).
• Whisk 1 cup (110 g) powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp. whole milk, ⅛ tsp. kosher salt, and 2 tsp. finely ground freeze-dried raspberries or black sesame seeds or 2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 tsp. matcha, preferably ceremonial grade; or ½ tsp. ube extract in a small bowl until smooth. (Glaze should be thick but pourable-like a yogurt drink. Thin with additional 1 Tbsp. whole milk if needed.) Stir in ½ tsp. vanilla extract if making the ube version.
• Dip tops of doughnuts in glaze, letting excess drip back into bowl, and return to rack. Let sit until glaze is set, about 15 minutes.