How to Make Mochi by Hand Recipe (2024)

  • Japanese

By

Chichi Wang

How to Make Mochi by Hand Recipe (1)

Chichi Wang

Chichi Wang wrote a variety of columns for Serious Eats including The Butcher's Cuts, in addition to other stories. Born in Shanghai and raised in New Mexico, Chichi took her degree in philosophy but decided that writing about food would be more fun than writing about Plato.

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Updated May 15, 2019

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How to Make Mochi by Hand Recipe (2)

This Sunday marks the Lunar New Year for the Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean cultures. While no single dish can represent the diverse practices of each cuisine, rice is a common thread, a symbol of wealth and plenty. 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.

"Making mochi at home is a completely manageable, albeit sticky, activity."

In Japan and Korea, the rounds of glutinous rice, known as mochi and tteok, respectively, are indulgently gooey affairs. The cakes, which can either be sweet or savory, are steamed, pounded, or pan-fried.

Store-bought versions are usually coated with too much starch and can taste like chemicals or waxy fillings. The homemade version, however, is one of my favorite treats: soft and chewy with the sweetness of glutinous rice coming through, freshly pounded mochi is not to be missed. And, despite its opaque appearance, making mochi at home is a completely manageable, albeit sticky, activity. The steps and recipe ideas, after the jump.

Ingredients

  • Glutinous sweet rice
  • Potato or rice starch

Directions

  1. In a food processor or spice grinder, coarsely process the glutinous sweet rice. Soak the rice in a large bowl of water for an hour, then arrange the drained rice on a steamer insert fitted with muslin or cheese cloth.

    How to Make Mochi by Hand Recipe (3)

  2. Steam the rice for 40 to 45 minutes, until the broken grains of rice are translucent. Let rest in the steamer insert for 5 minutes.

    How to Make Mochi by Hand Recipe (4)

  3. With wet fingers, transfer the cooked rice to a mortar and pestle.

    Depending on the size of the bowl, you may need to complete this step in batches. Pound the rice in an up-and-down fashion for 10 minutes or so.

    As you continue to pound the rice, have a bowl of warm water ready to add to the bowl if needed. The rice should be somewhat moist, but not wet, as you pound it. By the end of the pounding process, the rice will be one cohesive, sticky mass.

    How to Make Mochi by Hand Recipe (5)

  4. Sprinkle potato or rice starch over your work surface. Wet your hands again and transfer the mochi to the surface. Now make sure your hands are completely dry and cleaned of residual sticky rice. Lightly knead the mochi, adding more potato starch as needed, until the mass of rice is no longer extremely sticky to the touch. Divide the mochi into 2-inch balls, rolling each around in a thin layer of starch.

    If you want to fill the mochi, use red bean paste or another filling of your choice. (I like mixing the highest-quality peanut butter and honey.) Flatten the ball of mochi and place a teaspoonful of filling in the center. Gather the ends of the circle together and roll again to form a ball with the enclosed filling. Eat as is, or proceed with toasting. In this form, the mochi can be kept underneath a wet towel for 10 to 12 hours. If you intend to the toast the mochi later, the rounds of rice can be stored for 24 hours.

    How to Make Mochi by Hand Recipe (6)

  5. Heat a heavy skillet or pan. Place each round of mochi onto the pan. You may either leave the mochi in its spherical form or use a spatula to flatten the mochi. Toast the bottoms of the mochi until they are golden brown, taking care not to move or disturb the balls as they cook. If the mochi is prematurely moved, the surface will not have time to harden and the balls will stick to the pan. Continue to toast the mochi on all sides.

    How to Make Mochi by Hand Recipe (7)

  6. Eat the plain toasted rounds of mochi dipped in soy sauce or sugar. Or, place the balls of mochi in soup for a New Year's dumpling soup, where they will absorb the flavors of the broth. Eat the soup immediately upon serving to fully experience the delicate balance of the crisp, charred surface to the gooey, soft interior. The filled and toasted rounds of mochi may be eaten as they are.

    How to Make Mochi by Hand Recipe (8)

Special equipment

food processor or spice grinder, mortar and pestle

How to Make Mochi by Hand Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How is traditional mochi made? ›

So, how do you make mochi? Traditionally, mochi is made by pounding steamed short-grain Japanese sticky rice, called mochigome, with a wooden mallet during a ceremony called mochitsuki. This aerates and pulverizes the rice, which is what gives mochi its beloved texture.

How to make pounding mochi? ›

Pound the rice in an up-and-down fashion for 10 minutes or so. As you continue to pound the rice, have a bowl of warm water ready to add to the bowl if needed. The rice should be somewhat moist, but not wet, as you pound it. By the end of the pounding process, the rice will be one cohesive, sticky mass.

What is mochi dough made of? ›

Mochi is a bun-shaped Japanese dessert made from sweet glutinous rice flour, or mochigome. It has a soft, chewy texture that is somewhat elastic. Mochi is often flavored with matcha (or green tea powder), which gives it a light green hue.

What makes mochi chewy? ›

Amylopectin is is much more hygroscopic than amylose, which for people who didn't major in chemistry means that Amylopectin absorbs more water. Mochi in its simplest form is just a chewy elastic dough made from fully hydrated Amylopectin.

How do Japanese make mochi? ›

To make mochi, glutinous rice (also known as sweet rice or sticky rice) is first soaked overnight and then cooked until it becomes soft and sticky. The rice is then pounded with a large wooden mallet in a mortar called an usu until it becomes a smooth and sticky dough.

What does mochi mean in Japanese? ›

Mochi (もち, 餅) [motɕi] is a Japanese rice cake made of mochigome (もち米), a short-grain japonica glutinous rice, and sometimes other ingredients such as water, sugar, and cornstarch.

What is raw mochi? ›

Plain mochi is made with only 2 simple ingredients: mochigome (short-grain glutinous rice) and water. It's the most basic and traditional style of Japanese rice cake, known for its subtle sweetness and chewy texture.

Is mochi Chinese or Japanese? ›

Although mochi itself is a traditional Japanese food, Mantou finds it's roots in China. Eventually, it made its way across the East China Sea and Japan made it their own. The mochi dough in manju is often flavored while the center is traditionally a sweet bean filling.

What is the yellow powder on mochi? ›

Kinako powder is a roasted soybean flour widely used in Japanese cuisine. It is used in various Japanese dishes, both sweet and savory. The nutty yellow powder is sprinkled over traditional Japanese sweets, such as Daif*cku, Warabi Mochi, Dango, and Ohagi.

What is the white powder on mochi? ›

What Is Shiratamako. Shiratamako, literally “white jade powder,” is a white powder made of glutinous/sweet rice. It's an ingredient in mochi and many wagashi desserts.

What is the brown powder on mochi? ›

The mochi itself is sweet without any flavoring. They are dusted with kinako(Japanese roasted soybean powder), which has a nutty flavor similar to peanuts.

What is in traditional mochi? ›

Mochi (もち, 餅) [motɕi] is a Japanese rice cake made of mochigome (もち米), a short-grain japonica glutinous rice, and sometimes other ingredients such as water, sugar, and cornstarch. The steamed rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape.

Is mochi traditionally made with ice cream? ›

Mochi ice cream is a small, round confection consisting of a soft, pounded sticky rice dumpling (mochi) formed around an ice cream filling. The ice cream adds flavor and creaminess to the confection while the mochi adds sweetness and texture. The traditional ice cream flavors used are vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.

Where is mochi originally made from? ›

Traditional mochi is a Japanese dessert made of whole rice grains or glutinous rice that is beaten with a wooden mallet until it becomes a flexible paste. There are several types of mochi, which all contain differing ingredients.

Is traditional mochi ice cream? ›

The soft silky outer layer encapsulates a dollop of cold creamy ice cream, making it a fun handheld treat. But Mochi ice cream isn't a traditional dessert, and instead exemplifies the marriage of two cultures joining together to create a fusion sensation.

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