Mochi

Mochi (Pounded Glutinous Rice Cake)

A traditional Japanese rice cake made by pounding steamed glutinous rice into a smooth, elastic dough, shaped around a sweet red bean paste filling. Springy and chewy, mochi is central to Japanese New Year celebrations and as an everyday wagashi tea sweet.

Prep

30 min

Cook

40 min

Total

70 min

Serves

8 (yields 8 mochi balls)

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •300 g (10½ oz (about 1¾ cups)) glutinous sweet rice flour (mochiko) or whole glutinous rice, Mochiko (rice flour) is a home-kitchen substitute for pounding whole steamed short-grain glutinous rice. Both are traditional.
• •200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) water, cold, for the flour method only
• •60 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar, for the flour method only; skip if using whole rice
• •2 g (½ tsp) fine salt
• •1 tbsp potato starch or cornstarch (katakuriko), for dusting the work surface
• •240 g (8½ oz) smooth red bean paste (anko), use tsubushi-an (chunky) or koshian (smooth); store-bought is fine. Divide into 8 equal portions of 30 g each.

Steps

1. 1 Rinse 300 g glutinous rice (if using whole rice) under cold water 4–5 times until the water runs clear, then soak in plenty of water for 4–6 hours or overnight at room temperature. If using mochiko flour, skip this step and go to step 3.
2. 2 Drain the soaked rice, place it in a steamer lined with cheesecloth, and steam over vigorously simmering water for 40 minutes, or until the grains break easily between your fingers and look translucent. Check the water level periodically and add more boiling water as needed so the pot does not go dry.
3. 3 For the mochiko flour method: whisk 300 g mochiko, 200 ml water, 60 g sugar, and 2 g salt in a microwave-safe bowl until smooth. Cover loosely with plastic and microwave on high for 2 minutes; stir with a wet spoon, then microwave 1 minute more, until glossy, pliable, and an internal temperature of at least 75 °C / 165 °F.
4. 4 Transfer the hot steamed rice (or microwaved dough) into a large wooden mortar (usu) or sturdy mixing bowl. Pound with a wooden pestle or mash thoroughly with a wet potato masher for 8–10 minutes, adding small splashes of water as needed to keep the dough pliable, until the dough becomes a smooth, glossy, elastic mass with no visible grains. The dough is ready when it stretches without tearing.
5. 5 Dust a clean surface generously with katakuriko or cornstarch. Turn the hot dough out onto the dusted surface using wet hands or a dough scraper; it will be very hot, so work quickly.
6. 6 Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces (about 55 g each for the flour method; about 60–70 g each for the whole-rice method). Keep any unused pieces covered with a damp cloth so they do not dry out.
7. 7 Roll each piece into a ball, then flatten it into a 10 cm / 4 in disc about 8 mm thick, dusting lightly with starch to prevent sticking.
8. 8 Place a 30 g portion of anko in the center of each disc. Fold the dough up around the filling, pinching the seams firmly to seal, then roll between starch-dusted palms into a smooth ball.
9. 9 Place finished mochi seam-side down on a tray dusted with starch. Do not eat immediately; let cool for 10–15 minutes. Eat the same day for the best texture. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day (do not refrigerate, which hardens the dough).