New Years Mochi Rice Recipe

600g sweet mochi rice (eg Hakubai)

Potato starch (katakuriko)

Rice

1. First wash and rinse the rice at least 4 times so the water runs clear and you have removed much of the surface starch, then place the rice in a rice cooker (recommended for consistency of quality of cooked rice).

2. Add an equal quantity of water (plus an additional 5ml per 100g of rice) and leave to soak for at least 30 minutes (this ensures that the moisture penetrates each grain, so that the rice cooks evenly and thoroughly in a relatively short time without becoming too soft).

3. Cook the rice and when it’s cooked, and the cooker has clicked off, remove the rice immediately.

Mochi

1. Firstly get your stand mixer, which has to be a strong one as you have to emulate hours of pounding by hand with your machine, so it needs be sturdy! For example, a KitchenAid or Kenwood Prospero or similar. The additional 5ml of water per 100g of mochi rice actually helps to reduce the time needed to pound as the extra moisture helps the rice grains to squash and mix quicker.

2. When the rice is cooked heat up your mixing bowl and kneader attachment with hot water, then add half the rice to the bowl and start to knead as below.

3. Knead with number 2 speed. Set a timer for 90 seconds then stop for 30 seconds. The hook will start pulling the dough and use a wet spatula to pull the dough off the side of the bowl. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, keeping the dough hook attached. Using the wet silicone spatula, flip the glutinous rice. Dip the spatula in water a few times so it doesn’t get sticky. Put the bowl back to the stand mixer and start kneading again. Repeat 3 times…and this it will begin to look like mochi.

4. Once the kneading is done, it’s time to pound. Remove the dough hook from the mixer and change it to a flat beater, then beat the mochi at number 3 speed. Set a timer for 20 seconds then turn off and repeat the pounding process 4 times.

5. Prepare two baking sheets by covering them with potato starch. Put all the mochi onto one of the baking sheets leaving the other one for mochi balls. Sprinkle some potato starch on top of the mochi. Now make sure your hands are completely dry and cover them with potato starch. Keep extra starch handy so you can always dust your hands when needed.

6. Spread the potato starch on top of the mochi, making sure there is no sticky part left. Pick up a corner of the mochi and start tucking in the edges underneath. When it becomes a thick layer, make a “C” shape with your left pointing finger and thumb, using your right hand to tuck in and push up the mochi underneath to create a ball shape above the “C” fingers. Now using the “C” fingers, pinch underneath the ball to cut off the mochi. Use the right hand to assist by twisting. Do not pull the mochi as it creates a very sticky surface.

7. Once all the dough is made, repeat with the other half of the cooked rice. It’s actually quicker to do this in 2 batches than to do one whole batch. If you do not use the mochi immediately, cover each one individually with plastic wrap and put in the freezer bag.