The Best Mochi Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best rice for mochi? ›

This year, I'm making mochi, which is always fashioned from glutinous sweet rice. The grains of rice develop an especially sticky surface when cooked. So sweet and dense, the kernels taste appropriately gluttonous on special occasions.

It's made, more or less, by taking gigantic mallets to a pile of cooked sweet rice and pounding the crap out of it until it forms the chewy, tender consistency that we know and love.

“Mochi dough is very sticky when it comes out of the steamer, but this is when it's easiest to shape or roll. If the dough cools down too much, it will be much more difficult to manage.” Another pro tip? Avoid fillings that have too much moisture – otherwise liquid may seep out from the seams.

In case you encounter mochi dough after cooking/microwaving that still very wet and not sticky, stretchy, this may be lacking glutinous rice flour to hold it together.

What Is Mochi Made Of? You can buy sweetened red bean paste (also called adzuki bean paste or anko) at the store or you can make it at home with our easy recipe. Make sure to get glutinous rice flour (mochigome) instead of regular rice flour. This ingredient is essential for mochi's signature chewy texture.

Potato starch - Potato starch helps to bind the potato dough so that the potato mochi doesn't break apart and disintegrate while cooking. You can also use cornstarch if you can't find potato starch. Cheese - This is optional, but stuffing the potato mochi with some cheese makes it even better!

Mochi is a versatile and healthy snack, and was popular amongst rice farmers and Samurai for increasing stamina and for its convenient format. Mochi is one of the few carbohydrate sources that is packed with protein, and is free from cholesterol.

The time depends on the microwave you're using, the wattage, and the number of Mochi you're heating at once. Be careful not to overdo it – it will literally explode and melt. If you're worried, check every 30 seconds to make it to your preference.

Fresh mochi from the store has a longer shelf-life if refrigerated and can last up to a week. Mochi ice cream can be kept in the fridge for a few months, usually until the best-by date. Freezing mochi can also extend its life, whether fresh, store-bought, or filled with ice cream.

After an hour, remove your pan from the oven. Very, very carefully, remove the aluminum foil, and check the consistency of the mochi with your fingers. Steam should escape from the mochi as you remove the foil, so be careful not to burn yourself! The mochi should be sticky but firm.

How long to soak mochi rice? ›

Well, whether you're making a delicious Japanese dessert, or celebrating the first day of the new year, we've got a time-saving secret weapon when it comes to making mochi at home! Soak rice in water for 6-12 hours to make the rice bright and glutinous.

Place parchment paper down and dust it generously with corn starch. Then pour out the cooked mochi dough on top of the parchment paper. Sprinkle more corn starch on top of the mochi dough, as needed to prevent from sticking.

The overworked dough will often feel tight and tough. This means that liquid molecules have been damaged and won't stretch properly, causing the bread to break and tear more easily. Conversely, a dough that is underworked will be harder to form into a ball shape.

This ground rice is used to make the bouncy, delicious mochi and rice cakes we've all come to love. Other rice flours, like plain rice flour and chapssal flour, can provide a similar chewy consistency as glutinous rice flour. So, they work well as substitutes.

Glutinous Rice (See it on Amazon) – This is the only rice you should use to make mochi if you want to get the perfect stretch, chew, and texture! Using any other kind of rice is asking for a bad time!

Long grain rice tends to cook up light, fluffy and separate when cooked rather than clumping together. Medium grain rice tends to cook up moist and tender while short grain rice tends to clump together when cooked and forms what is called glutinous rice.

Also known as glutinous or sweet rice, sticky rice is a short-grain japonica variety that has a relatively large amount of amylopectin, which makes it incredibly sticky.