Over time, mochi will form a skin as it cools, so if you can work with it before the skin forms, that is best. There is no need to work with it while it is burning hot. Handling:Īllow the mochi to rest until cool enough to handle on a heavily mochiko-dusted surface. If the mochi hasn’t been steamed enough, it will not hold its shape. It’s better to cook for a longer time than too short a time, and as far as I can tell, it’s hard to overcook. When the mochi is done, it will change in color from white to almost translucent, and will no longer taste flour-y and gritty. In either preparation, be sure to allow the mochi to steam long enough. It is much, much easier to make in the microwave, and I suggest it. I never use my microwave for anything (it lives in the garage) and I STILL haul it out to make mochi. Mochi can be made in the microwave, a quick option that takes around 3 minutes, or on the stovetop in a double boiler, which takes about 20-30 minutes. The juices from the fruit will make the mochi wet and melty inside after a few hours in the fridge. Allow to soften for a few minutes before enjoying!ĭaifuku with wet fruit fillings, especially chopped fruit, should be eaten as soon as possible. Wrap the ice cream scoops and freeze again until firm. Instead of simply flattening the mochi into disks with your hands, use a rolling pin (a dumpling rolling pin is ideal) to roll the mochi out to slightly less than ⅛”– a thinner layer of mochi will be nicer to bite into when frozen. Try filling your daifuku with diced mango or ice cream too! To fill with ice cream, freeze small scoops of ice cream on a baking sheet for 24 hours. In Japan, the most common fillings for daifuku are red bean paste (aka koshi an) and whole strawberries. Daifuku pictured here filled with red bean paste! Daifuku Mochi Fillings Coconut mochi can be rolled in dessicated coconut, which is lovely. During recipe testing I thought I was a genius when I decided to dust with confectioner’s sugar– but my moment of pride was short lived because confectioner’s sugar dissolves and turns wet and sticky on the surface of mochi. Since it doesn’t taste all that great, cornstarch is my least favorite option. Potato starch is superior because of its fine, smooth texture, but mochiko is easy because it’s usually on hand, already being inside the mochi! Alternatively, cornstarch can be used, but cornstarch is VERY clingy, meaning it easily forms a thick layer on the mochi giving you a mouthful of cornstarch. Food coloring and flavor extracts can be added as well.įor dusting, I prefer mochiko or potato starch. To add flavor, I use dry ingredients like matcha powder and freeze dried fruits (I get my freeze dried fruit at Trader Joe’s!) Flavor can also be added with juices or purees in place of water. During recipe testing, I felt that the texture produced by the addition of corn syrup was more true to what I feel mochi should be. The addition of corn syrup keeps the mochi’s texture soft and smooth, and will also help keep it soft and pliable if it is stored in the refrigerator. Be sure to use confectioner’s sugar rather than granulated sugar to keep the texture smooth. Too little sugar means the mochi will be rubbery and tough. Sugar plays a big role when it comes to flavor and texture: it keeps the mochi soft and pliable, and adds flavor. Generally, mochi is 3 parts mochiko sweet rice flour, 3 parts water, and 1 part sugar. Mochi made with mochiko can be used to make daifuku, like the ones pictured here, little mochi bits to top frozen yogurt or ice cream, dango □□□(Dango even has its own emoji!), and a myriad of baked goods such as butter mochi. It’s really amazing to watch, but I won’t be making mochi this way at home any time soon (but ya never know.)Īt home, I use mochiko, a sweet glutinous rice flour that hydrates and develops gluten for a similar sticky and chewy texture to pounded mochigome rice. This preparation is done by a team of two people: one to stir and flip, and one to grind and pound. Then, while hot, the rice is ground and pounded with mallets in a large mortar until it forms mochi. The mochigome rice is soaked overnight and steamed. Traditionally, mochi is prepared in a labor intensive ceremony called Mochisuki. “Glutinous” meaning it contains a high starch content, not gluten. Mochi is the product of a glutinous short grain rice called mochigome. Mochi can be a lot of different things, so it isn’t only what’s pictured here! With the help of sweet, glutinous rice flour, it turns out making it at home isn’t that crazy– it’s even easy! So What Exactly Is Mochi? This mochi recipe can be used to make red bean, fruit, or ice cream filled daifuku or mini mochi bits to top frozen yogurt!īeloved in both Chinese and Japanese culture, mochi is an ancient and sacred food.
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