So now I have got both sweet rice and
bread maker, it is time to give it a go at making mochi!
Let’s start making mochi!
To summarize, below are things you need to make mochi:
- Mochi rice – today we are using Daichi Sweet Rice from California
- Bread maker (if your bread maker does not have sticky rice function, then you need both bread maker and a rice cooker)
- Corn flower (we will use it when we roll the mochi into small size)
- Chopping board (we will roll our mochi on this)
Step 1: Washing Mochi Rice
We need to first wash mochi rice with
water. A good amount to cook mochi in a standard size home bread maker is 2 or
3 cups of rice at a time. Be careful not to be rough when washing rice to
prevent them from cracking.
Measure 2 cups of rice and put in a
bowl. Pour plenty of water from a tap into the container with rice, and stir gently.
In the first wash, the water will
quickly turn cloudy so discard this water, carefully not to lose any rice. You
do not need to drain completely. Just remove the majority of water and
immediately pour new water and start stirring – this is the second wash.
Repeat washing rice for 4~6 times until
the water no longer turns cloudy compared to the beginning. Drain the
water, this time properly using a net or basket.
Step 2: Place Rice and Water into the Bread Maker Container
Once rice is drained, place rice into
the bread maker container. Make sure the wing piece of bread maker is set right
at the bottom of the container before placing rice over it. For two cups of
rice, add 1 cup of water.
The strength (or stickiness) of mochi
can be changed by adjusting amount of water for how much rice you are using. If
you add more, like 2 cups of water per 2 cups of rice, then you will have
thinner mochi. Softer and easier to eat/swallow so this might work better for
some people.
Step 3: Start the “Sticky Rice” Menu
Set the bread maker cooking container
into the bread maker machine, then close the lid of the bread maker. Choose “Sticky
Rice” Menu on the Bread Maker, then press Start button.
On my bread maker from Sheffield, it is
number 17 menu for sticky rice.
Now Bread Maker is Making Mochi!!
Initially, the home bakery slowly warms
up without stirring. So there is no sound. After about 20 minutes after
starting the “Sticky Rice” menu, the stirring piece started to rotate and you
could hear the sound of moving motor.
I found it to be a bit noisy at the
start, but I got quickly used to the noise. It is not bad at all….for a bread
maker that was so reasonably priced.
Once stirring starts, sticky rice slowly
start to get pasty. After about 40 minutes, you could see that it is a big mass
of squashed rice. It is looking really good!
After one hour has passed, it nearing
the end of “Sticky Rice” program. The content is looking smooth like it should
be.
Step 4: Shaping Mochi
Once the program finishes, the bread
maker makes a loud beeping noise to let me know. Get a chopping board and corn
starch ready. Sprinkle corn starch over the chopping board. Also have some corn
starch in a bowl nearby ready to be used.
Corn flour on the shopping board!
On a corn-starch-coated chopping board,
pour the content of the bread maker. Be careful not to burn, both the container
and the content are really hot! Let it cool down for a while until it is at a
temperature you can touch.
Coat both your hands with plenty of
corn-flour. Pull & tear to make mochi into small, round shape. You must do
this while mochi is still warm.
Finished!
If you wish to eat them fresh, you can
dip them in soy sauce and wrap them in Nori (seaweed sheet) to taste.
You can
alternatively have Kinako-mochi, by mixing sugar and soy powder in 1:1 ratio
and coating a piece of mochi with this mixture.
Storage of Remaining Mochi
You can coat remaining mochi with spare
corn-flour and place them in air-tight container. Store in the fridge for a few week. They will
not rot easily but watch out for any mold growth.
Eating Mochi Stored in the Fridge
Heat them in the oven for 10 minutes
until the surface of mochi browns and becomes crispy. Crispy surface might
break and sticky mochi may come out from inside – this is a good sign of
roasted mochi!
ENJOY! Be careful not to choke on a mochi. Mochi can be a choking hazard for elders and children in Japan. They are super yummy but be careful when giving them to children or your elder family members.
