Japanese Rice Cake (Mochi)

Thanks to Kat for sharing her Ichigodaifuku Mochi recipe (Strawberry and Red Bean mochis). Yummy .. I'm sure I'd be in confection heaven too if I had a a chance to sink my sweet tooth into that ! The first time I read the mochi recipe, I did not realize that I actually had Mochiko at home. A little googling enlightened me that Mochiko is actually Japanese for glutinous rice flour and I was fortunate enough to have three bags of it originally intended for some Malaysian style glutinous rice balls. Woohoo ! I'm halfway to treating my taste buds to some sweet, chewy, wholesome goodness that I've been longing for a while.

I must confess that this is my first attempt at making Mochi. But from what I've read so far, it's a breezy no-bake recipe (similar to my no-bake coconut macaroon). And it is, a simple nuke and cook was all it took to get my mochi dough ready to rock and roll :) After that, it's just sheer delight portioning them out and dressing them up with an assortment of sweet fillings like chocolate, fruit jam, ice cream, or peanut butter. The verdict ? Some 30 pretty little bite-sized morsels edible eye candy that's to die for.

So there you have it, from simple shades of white, you can paint them with whatever flavors you crave, and that is my submission to Sugar High Friday, hosted by Tara at Seven Spoons. I generally prefer having my mochis cold. The perfect sweet indulgence for a hot summer day, and definitely a perfect ending to lunch or dinner :) So, how do you like your mochi ?

Mochi Recipe ( Japanese Rice Cake Recipe )

Mochi dough recipe :
Ingredients :
2 cups water
2 cups glutinous rice flour ( mochiko )
1 cup sugar
potato starch, or soy bean flour for dusting ( katakuriko, or kinako )
1 tbsp strawberry jam ( optional )
1/4 tsp pandan ( screwpine leaf ) extract ( optional )

Method :

1) Sieve glutinous rice flour in a big bowl ( to prevent clumps) and set aside.
2) Mix sifted glutinous rice flour, sugar and 2 cups water in a bowl. ( optional: add strawberry jam for pink mochi dough or pandan extract for green mochi dough)
3) Making mochi
Steaming method : pour flour mixture into an oiled pan. Place in steamer and steam on medium for 30-45 minutes.
Microwave method : pour flour mixture into an oiled microwavable pan. Microwave 10-15 minutes covered.
4) Dust some potato starch ( Katakuriko ) over a large flat-surfaced board. Knead dough until a smooth texture is achieved.
5) Shape dough into mini-logs and cut into bite-sized portions.
6) Fill or top dough with your favorite stuffing or topping.

Here's a list of the stuffings/toppings I used :
A) Strawberry Mochi - Frozen strawberry yoghurt ( wrapped in pink mochi dough )
B) Pandan Mochi
C) Chocolate Mochi - Heated chocolate fudge and toasted sesame seeds
D) Peanut Butter Mochi - Peanut butter ( mochi dough is flattened, filled with peanut butter, and rolled up )

Notes :
Glutinous Rice Flour ( Mochiko ), works well as a thickener in sauces and soups. Sauces thickened will not separate when frozen and thawed.
Potato Starch ( Kitakuriko ), prepared from cooked potatoes that are washed of all fibers until only the starch remains, and it is gluten-free.
Soy Bean Flour ( Kinako ), low in starch and high in protein, soy flour is made from ground soy beans and is used in baking breads and pastries.