Mochi is a Japanese rice cake traditionally made from laboriously pounding steamed rice into a smooth and sticky paste, then cut or molded into desired sizes or shapes and used in both savory and sweet dishes. Mochi’s history can be traced back to the Heian era. As a matchbox size of mochi is equal to eating a bowlful of rice, it became popular amongst the Samurai warriors as they needed portable food which can keep them satisfied for longer periods of time. In Japan, mochi is used in religious rituals and viewed as “the food of Gods”. It is also known as a symbol of good fortune and happy marriages. All over the world, ice cream filled sweet mochi is emerging as a trending dessert.
With this recipe, you can easily make basic sweet mochi at home. Thanks to mochiko or sweet rice flour, you no longer need to painstakingly pound steamed rice. All you need to do is mix mochiko with water, steam it, cook it with sugar, and you have sweet mochi which you can eat on its own, use as a topping for desserts or fill with any of your favorite ice cream.
Ingredients:
This recipe takes about 40 to 45 minutes to make. Serves about 2 cups of sweet mochi.
• 1 cup of sweet rice flour (mochiko)
• ¾ cup of water
• 2 cups of sugar
• 1 cup of cornstarch
Instructions:
In a heatproof bowl, mix sweet rice flour and water well using a wooden spoon.
Put the bowl in a prepared steamer.
Steam the sweet rice flour mixture over medium heat for 20 minutes.
Transfer the steamed mochi into a pot, then add 2/3 cup of sugar.
Cook over medium to medium-love heat while stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved.
Add another 2/3 cup of sugar, then stir constantly until the sugar has dissolved.
Finally, add the remaining sugar and stir continuously until the sugar has dissolved and you get a smooth and sticky texture.
Turn the heat off.
Spread cornstarch on a baking sheet.
Pour the sweet mochi over the cornstarch.
Make sure you dust your hands with cornstarch before working on the sweet mochi as it will be very sticky.
Ideas And Tips:
When steaming the rice cake, wrap the lid with a clean kitchen cloth. This will prevent the water from dripping into the rice cake.
If you want to make flavored sweet mochi. You can either substitute water with green tea, coconut water, coconut milk or fruit juice or add cocoa powder, matcha powder, taro powder, or any fruit powder.
You can fill the sweet mochi with sweet bean paste, fruit jams or creams, crushed nuts or ice cream.
You can also coat the sweet mochi with cocoa powder, toasted sesame seeds, shredded or desiccated coconut or ground nuts.
You can store the sweet mochi in the freezer for up to 2 weeks in a sealed container.
Mochi can be very sticky and chewy, you need to make sure you chew it well before swallowing to avoid choking.
images – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWjdBDe9dS8
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