Vegan Mochi
I have posted similar rice cake recipes on my blog over the past two weeks. However, I wanted to make the most simple version of it, since I have noticed that there are only a few good recipes out there (in English at least). So this week I am posting my simple vegan mochi recipe.
Mochi is a Japanese delicacy which is basically a sticky rice cake filled with bean paste or some other sweet filling (ice cream is a popular one). You can get them in stores, but I prefer to make mine from scratch, since they taste a lot better.
I made two versions of vegan mochi, one is filled with bean paste (anko) and the other with sweet hazelnut filling.
Some health benefits
Just in case you decide to use the hazelnut filling for these vegan mochi, I am going to write down a few interesting facts about them. I noticed that I haven’t done that before, so here it is.
Hazelnuts are a rich source of vitamins and minerals like vitamin E, manganese and copper. Additionally, they have a high content of omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids.
Hazelnuts are rich in phenolic compounds that have been shown to increase antioxidant protection in the body. It is best to eat hazelnuts whole and unroasted to ensure you get the highest concentration of antioxidants.
They may increase oxidative capacity and reduce blood lipid levels, which can help reduce the risk of heart disease. They also seem to help normalize blood pressure. The high concentration of antioxidant compounds, vitamin E and manganese in hazelnuts may help decrease the risk of certain cancers, though more research is needed.
Hazelnuts may help prevent and decrease inflammation due to their high concentrations of healthy fats. Nevertheless, other factors are also important.
A piece of advice
I know that these rice cakes look kind of complicated, but in reality they are super simple and easy to make. But 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! 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.
Make sure your dough is covered with a kitchen towel when you are not using it, otherwise it might dry out.
Also, if you (like myself) don’t have an actual steamer, you can improvise. I took a sieve with larger holes, lined it with parchment paper and put it in a large pot of water. Make sure the water is not touching the bottom of the sieve. When the water starts to boil cover the pot with a lid.
Or you can improvise in any way you want, main thing is, these mochi should be steamed and not cooked in water. When you place the mochi in the steamer basket, make sure you leave some space between them. They will slightly grow and you don’t want them to stick together.
These measurements make 20 small mochi pieces, 10 with hazelnut filling and 10 with bean paste.
Vegan Mochi
Ingredients
- For the dough:
200 g of glutinous rice flour
50 g of regular rice flour
210 ml of water
2 tbsp of oil
- For the fillings:
160 g of hazelnuts
3 tbsp of sesame
3 tbsp of brown sugar
2 tbsp of vegan butter
160 g of sweet bean paste (anko)
Directions
- Prepare the fillings first. Put the hazelnuts and sesame in a pan and toast them on low heat, When they get a slightly brown-ish color, remove them from the heat. When they cool down put them in a blender along with sugar and vegan butter. Blend everything together and set it aside.
- In a deep bowl mix together the rice flours, oil and water. When it is well mixed, take the dough out on a flat surface and knead it for about 2 minutes until you get a smoot surface. It should be soft but not too sticky. Cover it with a kitchen towel and set aside.
- Divide the dough into 20 equal pieces, roll each of them into a ball. Take the hazelnut dough and form 10 balls with it, they should be slightly smaller than the dough pieces. Weigh the sweet bean paste and divide it into 10 equal parts (smaller than dough pieces).
- Flatten each dough piece with the palm of your hand and shape it into a flat thin circle. Put each ball of the filling in the middle of the dough and pinch the dough shut around the filling. Try not to trap any air inside. Roll the mochi around in your palms to get a smooth surface and a better shape.
- Line the steamer basket* with some parchment paper and place the mochi in it, but make sure there is some space left between them. Put a lid on your steamer and steam for 8 minutes on medium temperature.
- Serve the vegan mochi while they are still hot/warm.
Notes
- *You can improvise a steamer by placing sieve in a pot of water and covering it with a lid. Make sure the water does not touch the bottom of a sieve.
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 vegan 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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