Red Been Mochi

The cakes, known as Mochi, are cute round buns made of soft and chewy rice.  This sweet rice cake is a Japanese tradition served at New Year. The traditional way to make this cute sweet rice cake is complicated. The resulting sticky rice dough then formed into a final Mochi shape, normally will be a round shape, then baked or boiled. Families traditionally celebrate New Year by cooking a vegetable broth in which they heat the Mochi and drink it. The filling for this cute cake is made of red bean paste, mung bean paste, black sesame seed, or nowadays ice cream.  The Mochi is popular all over the world. With a fast moving society that we are now living, the simplest way to make Mochi will be worth it to try at home. Making fresh Mochi at home and filling with your favorite stuffing with this easy Mochi recipe will make all your guests happy.

Ingredients: 

For the dough:

1 cup sweet rice flour (sticky rice)

1 tbs wheat starch (optional)

2 pandan leaves roughly chopped

1 cup water

2 tbs sugar

For the filling:

1/2 cup dry red beans

1 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 tbs butter

1/4 cup coconut powder or flakes (optional)

Other ingredients:

1/4 cup cornstarch

Equipment

4 inch diameter glass bowl 

Sauté pan

Instant pot

Directions: 

Soak the dry beans overnight and drain.

Place the soaked beans into the instant pot. Add 1 cup water; close the lid and turn pressure cook for 8 minutes (this assumes that you already know how to use the instant pot). However, you can cook the beans in a pot until soft.

Place all the cooked beans with water into a food processor and grind the cooked beans into a paste.

Pour the bean paste into the sauté pan. Add sugar and coconut flakes and slow cook this paste until it is completely dry, adding the butter at the end which will make the bean paste look glossy. 

You can use the red bean paste in a can. It will save you time for this step. The red bean paste in a can sold at a Korean grocery or Japanese store. 

When the bean paste cools off, wet your hands and divide the bean paste into 12 round portions.

To make Mochi dough:

Place roughly chopped pandan leaves with water into a mixer and blend well. Pour the pandan mixture through a sieve. Discard the leaves.

In the glass bowl, add sweet rice, wheat starch, and sugar. Mix well.

Pour the pandan water into the rice flour mixture and mix well.

Cover the bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Take it out and stir the mixture to prevent any lumps, and put it back into the microwave and cook for another 2 minutes or until the dough looks shiny.

To assemble the Mochi:

On a clean countertop or piece of wooden board, sprinkle the cornstarch onto a work surface big enough to handle the cooked dough.

Pour the cooked dough into the cornstarch mixture. Let it cool off enough for you to handle the dough (about 2 minutes). Form the dough into a baton and divide the dough into 12 portions.

Dip your hand into the cornstarch to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands. Flatten the dough and place the red beans ball into the center of the dough and pinch the dough to cover the filling. This technique will take time for the beginner to make it right. 

Place Mochi into the small muffin paper liners. If you do not eat the Mochi right away, keep them fresh in the refrigerator for up to one week. Bring it out into the room temperature for 10 minutes and enjoy the Mochi.

Tip: if you do not have fresh pandan leaves, you can add vanilla to the dough and use a food coloring to make dough with a different color as you wish.