Vegan mochi pancakes
The other day I randomly came across purple sweet potatoes in a local super market. I was ecstatic because I’ve been looking for them for ages. For a short time I had an inner debate about what I’ll make with them. I finally settled for these vegan mochi pancakes.
This recipe is similar to something I previously made. If you tried my pan-fried mochi before, you probably have an idea what this tastes like.
These vegan mochi pancakes are sweet, sticky, slightly crispy on the outside and have a delicious sweet potato filling. If you are a fan of mochi, you will definitely be a fan of this recipe.
A piece of advice
I know that these rice pancakes look kind of complicated, but in reality they are super simple and easy to make. However, in case you struggle with certain things, I am here to help you as much as I can.
First of all, I have to say – do NOT use regular rice flour for this recipe! Use only glutinous (sweet) rice flour. This should be written on the packaging, but if you are still not sure, look for a letter G somewhere on the packaging. If you use any other flour you will not get sticky and soft mochi like these.
If you can’t find purple sweet potato in stores, you can use a different filling. Some sweet bean paste, or you can blend some nuts, butter and brown sugar and fill the rice cakes with that.
If any of my Balkan friends are interested, I bought the flour in Belgrade, block 70. Asian food stores and healthy food stores are also a good place to look.
Make the sweet potato balls slightly smaller than the mochi dough balls. The most important thing is to be able to wrap the white dough around it. I
Your dough might end up being too sticky. In that case add a little bit more of the glutinous rice flour. It could also be a bit dry, so you will not be able to knead it. If that happens just add a splash of water (not too much, so you don’t have to even it out again). The point is to get a Play-Doh-like texture that you can easily shape.
When you shape these vegan rice pancakes and cover them in sesame seeds, you can put them on a sheet of parchment paper while you heat the oil.
This is the easiest mochi recipe I have ever made, and I am so happy that I discovered it a while back. You do not need a steamer, you just fry it in the pan on a little bit of oil.
These measurements are enough to make eight pan-fried mochi. I only made them for myself but it was too much, so I had to give most of them away. But if you need more than that, make sure to double or triple the measurements. Don’t eat them while they are piping hot, but make sure to serve them while they are still warm to get the best experience
Vegan mochi pancakes
Ingredients
- For the filling:
200 g of purple sweet potato
1 + 1/2 tbsp of sugar
- For the dough:
220 g of glutinous rice flour
85 g of sugar
130 ml of water
Oil
Sesame seeds
Directions
- Peel the skin off of the sweet potato. Cut it into small pieces and steam for about 15 minutes. It should become very soft and fork tender. Transfer the pieces on a plate and sprinkle 1 + 1/2 tablespoon of sugar over it. Mash it with a fork and mix everything together until you get a puree.
- Divide the puree into 8 equal parts. Roll each part into a ball, cover them all with some plastic wrap and set aside. Next, prepare the dough.
- In a small bowl mix together the sugar and the water until the sugar dissolves. Put the glutinous rice flour in a large bowl. Pour half of the sugar/water mix in the bowl and mix everything with chopsticks. Do that with the other half as well and start to knead the dough with your hands. If your dough is too dry, add one tablespoon of water and knead again. You should end up with a Play-Doh like texture that does not stick to your fingers. Divide that dough into 8 equal parts and roll them into balls.
- Now it’s the time to shape your purple potato pancakes. Take a piece of the white dough and shape it like a small bowl. Place a purple potato ball in the middle and close it off with the white dough. Roll it around between your palms to create a ball.
- Put some sesame seeds on a plate. Gently press the mochi ball you just made over the sesame seeds (so that you flatten it). Turn it over and press the other side down. Repeat this process 8 times to make 8 mochi pancakes. Drizzle some oil on a non-stick pan and heat it to medium heat. Place the mochi pancakes in the pan and fry them until they become slightly golden-brown from both sides.
- Serve the vegan mochi pancakes while they are still warm.
If you liked this recipe, make sure you check out my other recipes like:
Feel free to tell me what you think about this in the comments below, or send me the pictures of your own pan-fried mochi. If you did something differently, I would also like to hear that, I’d love to see the things you come up with.
P.S. for more recipes like this and a bunch of other stuff, follow me on Instagram, @margo_drobi.
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