Mochi Balls

Mochi is a staple in Japan. It is used for everything from treats to main dishes, it has use in ceremonies, and it is one of the stickiest foods around. So what is it exactly? Mochi is nothing more that cooked sweet/glutinous rice mochigome that has been pounded into a dough. It's fairly easy to make, except for the pounding part, but that's where science helps us out. Mochi also comes in a flour form (called mochiko) to make instant mochi. This article tries to cover the more traditional method of making mochi, so we won't be using this flour.

What You Need

There are a lot of different ways to make mochi, but I'm going to cover two of them: By hand or using machines. The process is very similar with both methods, but the assistance of a rice and bread machine make quick work of this task.

Ingredients

Mochigome, also called "glutinous rice" or "sweet rice". It's a short grain white rice. You can find this in most non-standard food stores (like Whole Foods). 1 cup of rice makes about 16 one-inch pieces.
Corn or Potato starch. Lots of it.
Coating, if you want to make some kind of treat. Kinako (soy flour) is traditional.

Equipment for doing this by hand

A steamer basket (bamboo is traditional, but whatever you got)
A pot full of water, to produce the steam
Some cheesecloth
A mortar and pestle
Some arm muscles and some patience

Equipment for doing this with machines

A rice machine
A bread machine (although, a food processor with a dough blade might also work)

Step 1: Rinse and Soak

Like all rice, you need to first clean your mochigome. Do this by measuring out how much you need into a clean pot (or your rice cooker pot).

By hand: Use any amount of rice you like. Keep in mind 1 cup of dry rice makes about 16 one-inch pieces of mochi.
Rice cooker: Use your cooker's instructions for measuring rice. 1 serving of rice in my machine is 3/4 cup of dry rice (about 12 one-inch pieces).

Fill the pot with clean water and rinse the rice. Drain the water and add fresh water to rinse again. Repeat 2 or 3 times, until the water is mostly clear. After rinsing the rice add some fresh water to soak the rice.

By hand: Use at least twice as much water as rice, but you don't have to be exact. Just fill the container with water.
Rice cooker: Use your cooker's instructions for measuring out the water to the correct level.

Cover the pot/rice cooker and let the rice soak for at least 4 hours. You can soak it overnight, if you wish. The rice will increase in volume by 50% during this soak, so it's important to give it enough time.

Step 2: Cooking

Now that your rice is nice and soaked, you can cook it.

Rice Cooker: Press the start button and cook the rice. If your rice cooker has a "short rice" or "sweet rice" setting, use it.
If you are doing it by hand, you have some work ahead of you:
1. Line your bamboo steamer basket with cheese cloth.
2. Place your bamboo steamer over a pot of simmering water.
3. Drain your mochigome and place the rice in the steam basket, on top of the cheese cloth.
4. Spread the rice evenly across the basket. Use multiple baskets, if needed.
5. Cover the steamer and cook for 45 minutes, or until the rice is no longer crunchy.

The mochigome is done with the rice looks clear and has a slightly chewy texture. White centers mean the rice isn't done. Unlike with most rice, don't feel bad about overcooking it. It is much better to have rice that is too soft than rice that is crunchy.

Step 3: The Pounding

Now for the fun part! Traditionally, the steamed rice is placed in a giant stone or wooden vessel and pounded with a wooden mallet. Periodically, the dough is moistened with a little water and turned over. It's quite a sight to see.

If you are doing this using machines:
1. Move your cooked rice into your bread machine.
2. Pick a cycle that begins mixing the rice immediately (I have a "cookie dough" setting on my machine that does the trick).
3. Keep an eye on the machine so that it doesn't go into a "rise" or "bake" mode. Cancel the cycle and start it over if it stops mixing the rice.
4. Figure on 10-15 minutes of mixing. Your mochi is ready when you see no lumps and a sticky dough has formed.
If you are doing this by hand:
- A mortar and pestle works pretty well. You'll probably need to do a few smaller batches as opposed to all the rice at once. You can use just about any kind of bowl, but I'd avoid metal bowls since you might deform them. As for mallets, wood is ideal, but any kind of meat tenderizer would probably work. Smooth surfaces will work better than textured surfaces. Keep the mallet wet to prevent it from sticking. You may also need to wet the sides of the bowl and your hands to turn the mochi as you pound it into a sticky mass.

Step 4: Shaping

As you probably know by now, mochi is the stickiest substance on the planet. The best way to counter it is either potato or corn starch and lots of it. Liberally dust a cutting board with corn or potato starch and have a small container of it nearby, just in case. Coax the mochi from the bread machine pan or your mixing bowl and onto the cutting board. Once on the board, dust the top and sides of the mochi.

In addition to keeping the mochi from sticking, the starch will help keep the mochi moist. As the mochi dries out, it turns into a rock. The starch will buy you some extra time while you shape your creations.

There are a lot of things you can do with mochi in terms of fillings and flavors that I cover below, but for now, you should master the basics of shaping a basic mochi ball:

Sprinkle some corn starch on your hands.
With a sharp knife, cut the mochi into squares, or tear off a small piece (about the size of a ping pong ball).
Roll into a ball by placing one of the the starched sides into your palm. Place your other hand on top. The sticky edges will be between your hands.
Move your hands as if you were forming a ball, pressing slightly on the top and bottom of the mochi square. It will begin to form a ball shape.
Just as you feel the mochi ball get sticky, drop the ball into some starch. Don't wait too long, or you'll be scraping mochi off your palms.
Repeat with the other pieces.

If you are instead filling the mochi with something, try these steps. Make sure your fillings are pre-portioned and frozen before you start. I recommend practicing with M&Ms or some other small hard candy.

Sprinkle some corn starch on your hands.
With a sharp knife, cut the mochi into squares (I would avoid the tearing method here).
Place your filling in the center of one of the mochi squares.
Bring the 4 corners together on top of the mochi and pinch them together.
Bring the 4 "new" corners together where the mochi meets and pinch them together as well.
Briefly roll the mochi in your hands to round it out.
Place it pinch side down in some starch and move on to the next piece.

Optional fillings and flavors

As I get more confident in my mochi making skills, I'm starting to discover all the great things you can use to make it even better. Here are some of my ideas.

Flavors

It's best to add any of these at the end, after you already have the mochi pounded smooth. This is especially important with chocolate or any other fat, since the mochi won't form correctly otherwise. All of these flavorings are assuming you are working with 1/4 cup of raw rice (that works out to 1/3 of a batch of cooked rice in my rice cooker). Portion it out or multiply accordingly.

Kinako - Kinako is a roasted soy flour that is more or less traditional with fresh mochi. You can find it in most asian markets. Mix 1 part kinako flour, 1 part powdered sugar and 1 part potato starch in a small bowl. Roll mochi in mixture. You can also using regular sugar for a slightly less sweet taste.
Green Tea - Add 1/2 tsp of quality instant green tea powder to your mochi and mix well. If you want a stronger tea flavor, 3/4 tsp might be more to your liking. Shape and roll in potato starch as usual.
Chocolate Truffle - Melt 30g of high quality dark or semi-sweet chocolate in a small bowl. Add 1/4 tsp of instant coffee, 1/4 tsp of cocoa powder, a dash of salt and a 1/2 TBL of butter. Stir until completely melted. In a separate bowl, add 1 part cocoa powder, 1 part powdered sugar and 1 part potato starch. Add chocolate mixture to mochi and mix well. Form mochi into balls and roll into cocoa powder mixture.
Tang - A work in progress. Add 1 tsp of Tang and 1 1/2 tsp of sugar to mochi and mix well.

Fillings

Portion your filling out on a piece of parchment and freeze them before you start. This way, you can grab a frozen piece and wrap the mochi around it without a lot of hassle. You'll want portions about the size of an M&M.

Red Bean - You can find Red Bean paste in your local asian market. I prefer the slightly chunky kind, but whatever you like. Use red bean paste with plain mochi to create daifuku. smile
Peanut Butter - This works well with the chocolate truffle mochi. I prefer smooth to crunchy peanut butter, but its your mochi!

Storing

Fresh mochi doesn't keep very long, as it tends to harden and grow mold. As it cools on the counter, you should decide what you want to do. I don't recommend storing it in the fridge as the moisture pretty much destroys the texture.

Eat it now.
Store it in an air-tight container at room temp for around 4 days. It will keep its soft texture best at room temp.
Put it in a ziploc bag and freeze it for later. This your best option for cooking mochi for later.
Leave it on the counter to dry out, for a different texture. You can slice pieces off later. and then put it in a baggy to store it in the freezer.

To use it later you can:

Bake it in the oven until golden brown.
Fry it, either in oil or in a dry skillet.
Boil it for a soup or a stew.

Google around for lots of yummy mochi recipes!