Have you ever had Mochi or ice cream Mochi? Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made out of sweet rice flour. It is a thin gummy dough, which, in this recipe, will be wrapped around a small ball of ice cream. Mochi is a traditional dessert for the Japanese New Year. So, to honor the Japanese and partake of a holiday dessert with an international flair, I am going to make some suggestions on making ice cream Mochi.
Things that you will need are:
- 5 T sweet rice powder
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 10 small scoops ice cream of some kind (I used strawberry)
- as much as you need of cornstarch all it is used for is making sure the Mochi does not stick so it needs to be, well, thick.
Cutting the Mochi into circles to wrap the ice cream with. Photo by Joshua Millikan - Ice cream scoop, spoon, or melon scoop
When I made this recipe, I found it important to mix the water into the sweet rice powder in small amounts and stir it in until it becomes smooth, to prevent clumping. Also, I discovered that it is not necessary to mix the sweet rice powder and water together prior to putting the sugar in. To make it easier, you may mix all the ingredients together at the start.
Once this is combined, make sure to place some plastic wrap on the bowl, leaving an air hole. A mistake I made, when I first made this recipe, was not realizing I needed to leave the microwave on full power for the second heating. The recipe I used was not very clear about this. Between heatings, use a wet wooden spoon to mix, this will help the batter not stick to the spoon. If your mixture is not holding itself together like pizza or bread dough
does, then put it back in the microwave for another 30 seconds or so. Traditionally, recipes say the mochi is ready when it is “shiny and smooth” looking, this can be
deceptive as the mochi looks shiny and smooth as soon as you mix the ingredients together. You should be able to handle it and stretch it without it tearing too easily. Use plenty of corn starch to keep it from sticking to your board and your fingers. I used a small bowl to cut out the circles from the mochi. I found it very helpful to use a melon scoop to scoop the ice cream and place it on the circle of mochi. For a nice hard ice cream mochi, put them in the freezer for at least an hour before eating. If you like it softer, you may eat them right after assembly.
This recipe is a very delicious and if you have never tried mochi before this is a great way to try it! Ice cream tastes great in mochi and this is an easy recipe to follow. Hope you enjoy this delicious international dessert!
Click here for the original recipe I used.