Kinako Mochi is a traditional Japanese sweet made of sweet rice flour and dusted with kinako powder. This sweet dessert is traditionally enjoyed on New Years Day to bring good luck.
Sometimes the simplest recipes are the most delicious. While I love spending Saturday baking cakes and cookies, I sometimes want a quick and easy dessert with minimal cleanup. When I have a sweet tooth, I make a quick batch of mochi. This mochi recipe is a fun and easy introduction to Japanese sweet treats!
When I was a kid, my dad would make my brother & me mochi as a treat while we watched our Saturday morning cartoons. It is a perfect snack since these fluffy rice clouds can be eaten in just a couple of bites and can be made in under 30 minutes.
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Mochi is light and sweet, and you can eat a few of them without feeling too full or overloaded on sugar. If you're gluten free and want a sweet snack, mochi is a great alternative to traditional flour-based desserts. Since it has a rice flour base, it is naturally gluten free. I especially love to dust mochi with kinako, a toasted soybean flour that adds a wonderfully nutty, warm flavor. You can purchase kinako here on Amazon.
Ingredients
- Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour - Glutinous rice flour that provides structure for the mochi.
- Sugar - Provides the sweetness to the mochi.
- Kinako flour - Adds a rich nutty flavor to the mochi.
- Corn starch or potato starch for dusting - Keeps the mochi from sticking to each other.
How to Make Kinako Mochi
You can make mochi in either a microwave or on the stovetop. Here are the instructions for both:
Microwave Instructions
- Whisk flour and sugar - In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, whisk flour and sugar.
- Add water and mix - Add water and mix with a spatula until smooth.
- Microwave and fold - Microwave for 5 minutes, remove from microwave, and fold the mochi a few times. Put back in the microwave for 5 more minutes, then fold the mixture again.
Stovetop Instructions
- Whisk flour and sugar - In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour and sugar.
- Add water and mix - Add water and mix with a spatula until smooth.
- Cook and stir in a saucepan - In a saucepan over low-medium heat, add the mochi mixture and stir constantly using a wooden spoon or heatproof baking spatula. After 7-10 minutes, the mochi mixture will thicken and turn into a smooth and shiny mixture. Remove from heat.
Mochi Assembly Instructions
- Allow mochi to cool - Transfer the cooked mochi mixture into a mixing bowl and allow the mochi to cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Roll into mochi balls - Dust a pastry board or clean countertop space with the starch and cover your hands with starch. Peel off a piece of mochi about the size of a golf ball and roll it in your hands until it is a smooth, round ball.
- Flatten mochi balls - Gently flatten the ball and place it on the starch-covered countertop. Continue this process until all the dough is used up.
- Toast mochi in a skillet - Once you have rolled all the dough into small mochi cakes, heat a non-stick skillet on medium heat. Place a few mochi on the skillet and toast about 2 minutes on each side.
- Plate and dush with kinako powder - Plate the mochi and lightly dust with kinako powder. Serve immediately.
Substitutions
- Shiratamako Flour - Shiratamako flour is another glutinous rice flour you can use to replace Mochiko flour. It has a more refined flavor and is easier to manipulate then Mochiko flour, but is twice as expensive.
Variations
- Chocolate Mochi - To make this mochi chocolatey, add cocoa powder to the Mochiko flour before you add in the wet ingredients.
- Strawberry Mochi - Pulse dehydrated strawberries in a blender or food processor to make strawberry powder. Then whisk strawberry powder into Mochiko flour before adding wet ingredients.
- Daifuku Mochi - Daifuku is a red bean paste made from azuki beans. It is a delicious variation on classic Mochi.
- Mochi Waffle - A delicious modern take on traditional Mochi.
Equipment
This rice cake recipe calls for a few common kitchen essentials, including a measuring cup, a mixing bowl, whisk, silicone baking spatula, and a skillet or non-stick pan. Use these popular kitchen essentials in other recipes too.
Storage
Best enjoyed fresh, but you can store these rice cakes in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. Do not store Mochi in the refrigerator because it will become hard and dry out.
Top Tip
Kinako Mochi is a great treat to give out to neighbors and friends during the holidays. In order to give them as a gift, place them in an air-tight container and place each mochi into an individual cupcake wrapper (so they don't stick together).
Kinako Mochi
Ingredients
- 16 oz Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour 1 box
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 cup water
- 1 cup kinako flour
- Corn starch or potato starch for dusting
Instructions
- Microwave Mochi Instructions
- In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, whisk flour and sugar. Add water and mix with a spatula until smooth. Microwave for 5 minutes, remove from microwave, and fold the mochi a few times. Put back in the microwave for 5 more minutes, then fold the mixture again again.
- Stovetop Mochi Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour and sugar. Add water and mix with a spatula until smooth. In a saucepan over low-medium heat, add the mochi mixture and stir constantly using a wooden spoon or heatproof baking spatula. After 7-10 minutes, the mochi mixture will thicken and turn into a smooth and shiny mixture. Remove from heat.
- Kinako Mochi Instructions
- Transfer the cooked mochi mixture into a mixing bowl and allow the mochi to cool for 5-10 minutes. Dust a pastry board or clean countertop space with the starch and cover your hands with starch. Peel off a piece of mochi about the size of a golf ball and roll it in your hands until it is a smooth, round ball. Gently flatten the ball and place it on the starch-covered countertop. Continue this process until all the dough it used up.
- Once you have rolled all the dough into small mochi cakes, heat a non-stick skillet on medium heat. Place a few mochi on the skillet and toast about 2 minutes on each side.
- Plate the mochi and lightly dust with kinako powder. Serve immediately.
Never made mochi before, but this was great!
So easy to make and yummy!