Desserts
Mochi: Japanese Dessert Filled with Sweet Red Bean Paste
Soft glutinous rice flour dough cooked in the microwave and filled with sweet red bean paste: a Japanese dessert in a little over half an hour that makes 8 mochi.
- Total time
- 33 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Cuisine
- Japanese
Ingredients
Dough
Filling
For shaping
Method
Shape the filling balls
Divide 160 g sweet red bean paste into 8 portions of 20 g and roll them into smooth balls. Put them on a plate and refrigerate while you make the dough; they are easier to handle when filling.
Mix the dough
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine 100 g glutinous rice flour with 30 g sugar. Add 150 ml water and whisk until no lumps remain.
Cook and stir
Cover the bowl loosely with a plate and microwave 1 minute on high (800–1000 W). Stir with a wet silicone spatula, cover and cook another minute. The dough will start to thicken and turn translucent at the edges.
Finish cooking
Stir again and cook 30 seconds more, until all the dough is translucent, stretchy and sticky. If any white, opaque patches remain, cook 15 seconds more and stir again.
Cool on starch and divide
Dust a tray with 30 g cornstarch and turn the hot dough onto it. Dust the surface with 10 g more and let it cool 5 minutes, until you can touch it. Cut 8 equal pieces of about 35 g with a floured knife or dough cutter.
Flatten and fill
Flatten each piece with starch-dusted fingers into an 8 cm disc, thinner at the edges. Place a 20 g filling ball in the center.
Seal and serve
Bring the edges together over the filling and pinch to seal. Place them seam side down, brush off the excess cornstarch and serve the same day.
The step photos are illustrative.
Notes
Nutrition facts
1 mochi (1/8 of the recipe)
- Protein
- 1.6 g
- Carbohydrates
- 27 g
- Fat
- 0.2 g
- Sodium
- 45 mg
Estimate per mochi using store-bought sweet red bean paste (USDA: adzuki beans, canned, sweetened); homemade or less sweet paste changes calories and sugars. The glutinous rice flour uses the USDA Foundation Foods value.
Reference source: USDA FoodData Central — Foundation Foods y SR Legacy (2018)
For general information only; it does not replace advice from a qualified health or nutrition professional.
About this recipe
Mochi is a Japanese sweet made from glutinous rice flour, which turns into a stretchy, soft and slightly sticky dough when cooked. This version cooks in the microwave, with no steamer or mortar, and is filled with sweet red bean paste (anko), in the style of daifuku.
The key is to use glutinous rice flour (mochiko) rather than regular rice flour, and to work the dough with starch so it does not stick. The recipe makes 8 mochi and is best enjoyed the same day.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use regular rice flour?
No: regular rice flour does not make a stretchy dough and the mochi turns crumbly. Look for glutinous rice flour, sweet rice flour or mochiko at Asian grocery stores.
Why does my mochi get hard the next day?
Over time and in the cold, the starch firms up. Eat it the same day and keep it at room temperature; if it hardens, warm it 10 seconds in the microwave.
What other filling can I use?
Any firm, non-liquid filling: thick peanut butter, firm chilled chocolate ganache or a small strawberry. Use about 20 g and keep it cold so it seals better; if it has fresh fruit, eat it the same day.
