- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total time
- 50 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- EASY
- Calories
- 515 kcal
Quick summary
“Traditional Japanese rice cake with a soft, chewy texture, prepared by slowly cooking glutinous rice with sugar, shaped over cornstarch, and filled with classic fillings like azuki bean paste.”
What you need to know
- A hidratação prévia de oito horas do arroz glutinoso assegura o rompimento uniforme das moléculas de amilopectina.
- A cocção em fogo brando com agitação constante transforma os grãos em uma massa translúcida altamente gomosa.
- O amido de milho espalhado na bancada impede a aderência extrema da massa nas mãos durante a modelagem das peças.
Ingredients
Main
- 2 cups of glutinous rice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups of water
- Cornstarch for dusting
- Fillings to taste (sweet bean paste, strawberries, chocolate)
Instructions
Principal
- Start by washing the glutinous rice well until the water runs clear.
- Soak the rice for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Drain the rice and place in the pot with the water. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly.
- When the mixture starts to thicken, add the sugar and continue stirring.
- Pour the batter into a pan dusted with cornstarch and smooth the surface.
- Let cool for about 30 minutes until firm to the touch.
- Once cold, cut into squares or circles.
- Place the desired filling in each piece and mold them again, forming dumplings.
- Sprinkle with cornstarch to prevent them from sticking.
- Serve at room temperature or chilled!
Chef's tips
- Work with the dough while still slightly warm so that it maintains elastic malleability when closing the folds of the dumpling.
- Dry the strawberries completely with paper towels before coating in the batter so the liquid doesn't dissolve the starch.
- Remove excess surface starch with a soft dry-bristled brush before placing the ready-made dumplings.
Variations
- Mix a teaspoon of matcha powder into the dough during cooking to give it a vivid green color and herbaceous notes.
- Fill the center with a whole fresh strawberry wrapped in a thin layer of anko to prepare the classic ichigo daifuku.
- Add beet zest or drops of natural food coloring to the cooking water to produce festive pink mochis.
Substitutions
- Glutinous rice grains can be replaced with mochiko-type glutinous rice flour cooked with water in a steamer.
- The azuki bean paste can be replaced by consistent traditional Brazilian brigadeiro or chocolate ganache.
- Cornstarch for dusting can be swapped for Japanese potato starch (katakuriko) with equal efficiency.
How to store
Store the mochis in a sealed airtight container at cool room temperature for up to twenty-four hours. In the refrigerator, they harden quickly; if refrigerated, consume within two days by heating for fifteen seconds in the microwave.
Can it be frozen?
Freeze the dumplings individually separated on a baking sheet sprinkled with starch for two hours, then store in a sealed bag for up to thirty days. Thaw at room temperature for forty minutes before serving.
What to serve with
Harmonizes elegantly alongside a hot cup of Japanese sencha green tea, toasted genmaicha rice infusion, cold mugicha barley tea, or thin slices of Asian pear to cleanse the palate of the filling's density.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use common long-grain rice in this recipe?
No, regular rice has a high amylose ratio and does not develop the elastic, sticky texture of glutinous rice.
How to prevent the dough from sticking to fingers?
Keep your hands and the work surface generously floured with cornstarch or potato starch during handling.
Can mochi be consumed hot?
Can be enjoyed warm right after shaping, at which point it presents maximum elasticity and pronounced softness.
Why did the dough become hard after cooling?
Glutinous rice retrogrades and hardens with cold; keep at room temperature or soften slightly with gentle steam.
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