Green tea mochi

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Mochi

Mochi could be one of my most favourite things to eat – ever. And that’s a big call because I like to eat a lot of things. There have been times in my life when I’ve pretty much eaten my weight in mochi.


Mochi

When it comes to mochi, I’m fairly inclusive – almost any flavour and any filling makes me happy. I am fussy about the texture though – they need to be soft and fresh. The ones you buy off the shelves (eg boxed in Asian supermarkets) aren’t fresh enough.

Mixture

I’ve always thought that mochi was really hard to make – and it can be, if you’re making it from scratch from rice. But I’ve since found that there’s an easy version using glutinous rice flour and the microwave. It’s easy – dangerously easy – though admittedly a bit fiddly and messy.

All you need to do is put some glutinous rice flour in the microwave with sugar, green tea powder (or any other flavouring) and some water.

(Oh, and thanks to Kenko Tea for the matcha powder sample, which I’ve used in this recipe.)

Microwaved

I had to experiment a little to know how much to cook it for – my microwave is 1500w and this is how it looked after two minutes.

(PS: I apologise in advance for the following photo – it looks the way it looks, there’s no way to change it or make it pretty. I’ve included it so you can see what the result is after it’s been microwaved and stirred.)

Stirred and microwaved

I gave it a stir, and then cooked it for a further 30 seconds, and then another 30 seconds (stirring in between) and this was the result. I wasn’t 100% sure how to tell if it was cooked enough – the last thing I wanted was to overcook it and make it hard – but when I ate some, it didn’t taste “raw” so I figured it was fine.

Making the mochi

I actually tried two different recipes for mochi. My first batch, a different recipe to the one I’m posting here, still tasted a bit raw and was quite firm, so the second recipe was much better.

After it had cooked and cooled a little, I put some peanut butter in the middle of each mochi and rolled them up. Ta dah! Mochi!

Mochi - inside

Actually, it wasn’t quite that easy. The cooked mochi is really hot and sticks to EVERYTHING. So the cooking process is simple, but it is a bit messy and fiddly to fill and roll them. It’s totally worth it though. I was really, really happy with the texture, which was all chewy and soft.

If you like mochi, I recommend making it. So worthwhile. You could flavour and fill the mochi with almost anything – so many possibilities!

Here’s a video if you need some assistance with shaping:

Print
Green tea mochi

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 3 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: Makes 9 pieces

Green tea mochi

Ingredients

    For the mochi
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1/2 cup glutinous rice flour
  • 2.5 tablespoons caster sugar
  • 1 tablespoon green tea powder (or other flavouring if desired)
  • Pinch of salt
    • For the filling:
  • Peanut butter (or other filling)
  • Tapioca starch / corn flour for dusting

Instructions

  1. Mix all the ingredients (except for the filling) together in a microwave proof bowl.
  2. Cover bowl in clingfilm.
  3. Microwave on high for 2 minutes (mine was a 1500w microwave so you may need to experiment with yours depending on the power). Stir. Microwave for another 30-60 seconds.
  4. Dust a clean work surface and your hands well with tapioca starch or corn flour.
  5. When the mochi is cool enough to handle, spoon it out of the bowl on to the well floured work surface.
  6. Flatten / roll out to a rectangle and cut into 9 squares.
  7. Put about half a teaspoon of peanut butter in the middle of a square, pull up the edges and pinch to seal the filling inside.
  8. Roll into a smooth ball and set aside.
  9. Repeat with the rest of the mochi pieces until finished.
  10. Should last a couple of days in an air tight container, but don't put it in the fridge.
https://www.offthespork.com/2013/09/green-tea-mochi/