Many of you told me that you relish the soft and chewy texture of mochi. Come in a small squashy round cake shape, each bite of the mochi can feel like an indulgently sweet affair. In Japan, we have different styles of mochi and this particular kind is called Daifuku Mochi (大福餅). Today I’m going to share Green Tea Mochi (抹茶大福) in two ways – 1) White Mochi with Green Tea Filling and 2) Green Mochi with White Bean Filling.
How to Make Mochi Dough from Scratch
We have 2 ways to make mochi dough for daifuku at home.
Steam glutinous rice (sweet rice) and pound it to make mochi dough. Traditionally, we use this wooden mill (usu 臼) and pestle (kine 杵), or a mochi making machine. However, I don’t have them so I figured out How to Make Mochi with Stand Mixer.Microwave or steam shiratamako (白玉粉) or mochiko (もち粉).
In this recipe, I’ll show you how to make the dough using the second method with shiratamako. It’s easier and quicker, and the result is wonderful. In case you’re wondering, shiratamako and mochiko are both glutinous rice flours, however, it is different in taste and texture. The former goes through special processing which yields a very fine and elastic texture. While mochiko is cheaper and more widely accessible, I always prefer shiratamako when comes to making Japanese sweets like daifuku mochi. It’s also the most commonly used ingredient to make daifuku at home in Japan. The flour is so much more flexible to work with, and you’ll get a really smooth and bouncy texture for the dough. Your local Japanese grocery store should carry shiratamako. (I’m asking one online shop to carry shiratamako and ship internationally for us… crossing fingers!)
3 Tips for Making Mochi Using Microwave
1. Mix the shiratamako and water thoroughly.
Whisk together shiratamako and water well until the mixture is homogeneous.
2. Cover the bowl with a paper towel.
In my old daifuku recipes, I’ve used plastic wrap to cover the bowl when microwaving the dough. However, I’ve learned that a piece of paper towel works much better and is less hazardous. You’ll less likely burn your hand with the hot steam when you open the cover.
3. Microwave in short interval.
Each microwave has different wattage, so don’t follow my recipe unless it’s the same wattage. If you are not sure, start cooking in a short interval, such as 30 seconds at a time. Then check the progress by looking at the mixture. When the mochi is cooked through, it looks opaque than a solid color.
Green Tea Mochi 2 Ways!
Since the ingredients for the two types of Green Tea Mochi are exactly the same, let’s make both! We’ll be making:
1. White Mochi with Green Tea Filling
Mochi: We use unflavored, regular mochi made with shiratamako. You can also steam glutinous rice (sweet rice) and pound it to make mochi (See my How to Make Mochi with Stand Mixer post). Filling: We mix matcha powder into the white bean paste (Shiroan) to make the green color paste with matcha flavor.
2. Green Mochi with White Bean Filling
Mochi: We add matcha to the mochi dough to make it green. Filling: We use unflavored white bean paste (Shiroan) to give contrast to the green outer layer. Now that you see two kinds of Green Tea Mochi, you may wonder which one is better. My family prefers the White Mochi with Green Tea Filling version because the matcha flavor is more prominent than the other one.
5 Useful Tips for Wrapping Mochi
1. Make sure the filling is firm
When the filling is still warm and soft, it can be bothersome to wrap the mochi layer around. So make sure to chill the filling before you wrap so it’s not sticky or pliable.
2. Make the mochi dough into a round shape
Ideally, a balanced mochi will have a slightly thick center and a thinner outer layer. Nevertheless, homemade mochi tends to have a thick layer on the bottom. That’s because when we pull the dough and pinch to close the mochi, the layer concentrates at the bottom. By forming the mochi dough into a round allows you to reshape a few times and even out the thickness.
3. Coat the mochi dough evenly with potato/corn starch
Mochi is sticky. For handling purposes, you’ll need to dry it completely (= rice cake) or coat the surface with potato starch or cornstarch. Pay extra caution when doing so. You want to make sure all areas are covered evenly in a thin layer of starch so it’s not a mouthful of white powder when you bite.
4. Pull the mochi dough and pinch tightly.
When the mochi dough is coated with starch, it can be hard to seal the seam. You can either remove the starch with a pastry brush or pull the dough so the new sticky mochi surface will appear for you to pinch. When the sticky surface appears, make sure to pinch tightly with fingers coated with the starch. Otherwise, your fingers will be a sticky mess!
5. Rotate the mochi to shape and close the mochi
Once you close the seam, you can flip the mochi and put the seam line on the palm. Turn the mochi on your palm a few times to reshape, apply the starch on the bottom to finish up the mochi-making process.
Homemade Mochi vs. Storebought Mochi
The idea of making mochi at home may seem intimidating, but I can assure you that it is entirely manageable. No doubt it is an unavoidably sticky undertaking, but the process will bring you so much joy and fulfillment. For me, it is also about continuing the heritage of Japanese sweet making. Whenever I make mochi at home, I like to enlist my daughter to help. Her mochi may not turn out perfect, but it makes such a precious bonding time for us! The homemade treat surpasses the storebought version in flavors, texture, and freshness anytime that you can never go back to the mass-produced storebought mochi. If you love matcha flavored sweets, give this Green Tea Mochi a try!
Other Japanese Sweets Recipes You May Enjoy
Matcha Vegan Panna CottaStrawberry DaifukuDorayakiMitarashi Dango
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