Episode 84
January 1, 2012
Mochi
Happy New Year everyone! Today’s new episode was somewhat of a resolution for myself. I love mochi, and I’ve always wanted to know how mochi was made but I never went to any lengths to find out. I decided that in the new year I would finally find out. After a short conversation I found out that Erik, from the food blog All in the Name of Noms, not only knew how to make homemade mochi but was happy to share how to make it with me and all of my viewers!
For those of you who aren’t familiar with mochi, it is a Japanese dessert that is very similar to a dumpling. It is a sweet or sticky rice pastry filled with red bean paste. It has a mild sweetness and is versatile enough that you can fill it with a variety of paste-like fillings. Mochi is actually eaten on New Year’s eve and New Year’s day for good luck! What great timing for a special episode!
In the video Erik explains how to make An Paste (the red bean paste filling) using red beans (also called azuki/adzuki) but he also says that if you use the mild tasting white beans or navy beans you can then flavor the white bean paste to customize your mochi.
An Paste takes a couple days to make. The first step is to allow your red beans to soak overnight. The next day, drain off the soaking water then boil them on the stove with about four cups of water. The process is similar to making mashed potatoes. Once the beans have softened greatly, mash them together with sugar and flavoring.
The sweet rice layer on the outside is also fairly easy to make. After you have sifted your
Use sweet rice flour, like mochiko, in this recipe
sweet rice flour and sugar (to remove any large chunks) whisk them together with water and flavoring (Erik uses pandan flavoring but vanilla extract is also commonly used). Erik tells me there are many different ways to proceed from here, but he believes the best way is to place them in a steamer. Other methods include baking in the oven and microwaving.
Erik highly recommends using silicone cupcake molds that have been well-greased with shortening. I used them in the puto and kutsinta episodes too. You can find them in kitchen supply stores – I got mine at bed bath & beyond. Portion out the mochi batter in the cupcake molds to about 2/3 of the way up or 1/4 cup. Place them in a steamer than is gently boiling on a medium-high heat and allow them to steam for about 20-30 minutes. Cover the steamer with a cheesecloth before placing the lid on top to help prevent water from getting back into your product.
Using food-safe gloves helps greatly when working with mochi
After they steam you need to be ready to move quickly. First, grease with shortening all the utensils and surfaces you’ll be using to work with your mochi. This includes your hands and plates. If you have food-safe gloves it’s a good idea to use them – and if you have cotton liners for your gloves even better. You should unmold the steamed mochi batter immediately and you can let them cool slightly but you really need to work with them while they are still hot. As they cool they become less pliable but they also form a skin. Using gloves and cotton liners help keep your hands from burning and help keep the mochi from sticking to your hands.
The 1/4 cup steamed sweet rice batter makes large-sized mochi so if you like smaller bite-sized mochi tear the batter in half. The next step is to flatten the steamed batter into a large flat disc and then scoop about 1 – 2 tsps of filling into the middle of it. Then seal it up like a dumpling and round it off so the seams wind up on the bottom of the mochi. Then lightly coat the mochi in potato starch so that it can be handled. Potato starch can be found in grocery stores and Asian grocery stores. Mochi is ready to eat immediately!
I hope you enjoy this episode! It was a pleasure to have Erik on the show and I hope to have him on the show again in the future! Here is the recipe for mochi and an paste and the video is below! Thank you for watching!
