How To Make 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.

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.

SWEET MOCHI WITH RED BEAN FILLING

Steps:

• Make the filling: Rinse the beans and transfer to a large pot. Cover the beans with water and bring to a boil; drain. Cover the beans again with water and this time simmer until they are completely tender, about an hour to an hour and a half, adding more water if necessary to keep the beans submerged. Drain.
• Purée the drained beans in a food processor or blender to make a smooth paste. If the beans are too dry to catch the blades, add a few tablespoons of water. Return the bean purée to the same pot and stir in the sugar and salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the water has evaporated and the purée is very thick, 10 to 15 minutes. Spread bean paste in a wide, shallow container and refrigerate until firm and cool.
• Meanwhile, make the mochi dough: Line a sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper and spread a generous heap of potato starch in a large circle; set aside. In a bowl, whisk together the mochiko flour and 1 1/3 cup/300 milliliters water until smooth. Pour mixture through a mesh strainer into a saucepan, using the whisk to help push it through if necessary. Add the sugar and mix well. Switch to a heatproof spatula and cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens and comes together as one big, smooth, shiny mass that can hold its shape, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Using a starch-dusted knife, cut the dough into 20 even pieces. (If eating plain, or as an ice cream topping, cut into 40 to 50 smaller pieces.) One at a time, use a rolling pin to roll a piece of mochi dough into a thick, flat disk about 2 inches by 2 inches. Use potato starch liberally to keep the dough from sticking to your work surface, the rolling pin or your fingers. Roll a scant tablespoon of bean paste between your hands to form a ball and place it in the center of the rolled-out dough piece. Use your fingers to evenly stretch the mochi dough up and around the filling without squishing it, pinching the dough shut at the top to seal it, and then gently rolling the mochi between your hands to form a rounded shape. Set on the parchment-lined baking sheet with the seam on the bottom. Eat the filled mochi the day they're made, or cover and store in the refrigerator for 1 day.