Chewy Hawaiian Butter Mochi Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my butter mochi not chewy? ›

Regular rice flour will not give you a chewy texture, so your butter mochi will not be mochi-ee. So make sure to use glutinous rice flour. It really is the most important ingredient for this recipe. You can find this kind of flour in most East Asian stores.

Glutinous Rice Flour

This ingredient is essential for mochi's signature chewy texture.

Many families pride themselves on having “the best” butter mochi recipe, and while recipes vary slightly from family to family, the base ingredients are pretty standard: a box of mochiko (glutinous or sweet rice flour), butter, coconut milk, some kind of other milk (evaporated, whole, skim, etc.), eggs, baking soda, ...

Butter mochi can last for up to three days left at room temperature. A week in the fridge, or if frozen up to a month. If you freeze the butter mochi to consume simply take them out and put them in the microwave for a minute to defrost.

Mochi is a type of soft and chewy Japanese rice cake. Traditionally, the process of making mochi involves pounding cooked sweet glutinous rice, called mochigome, until it has a soft, Play-Doh-like texture.

Made from pounded and molded rice dough, these sweet little rice cake confections come in a variety of colors and flavors (like matcha, chocolate, and strawberry) and have a slightly sticky, delightfully chewy quality about them—like stretchy little clouds.

Storing them in the fridge will make the rice hard, and the mochi will lose their chewy texture. Where possible, store them in a cool place in an airtight container, and consume them within 12 hours.

In case you encounter mochi dough after cooking/microwaving that still very wet and not sticky, stretchy, this may be lacking glutinous rice flour to hold it together.

Sprinkle more corn starch on top of the mochi dough, as needed to prevent from sticking. Wait for the dough to cool. Once cooled, spread the mochi dough into a thin layer with a rolling pin. Dust the rolling pin and your hands with corn starch before using to flatten out the dough.

Mochi was brought to Hawaii by Japanese plantation workers in the mid-1800's. To ring in the New Year, family and friends come together for the mochitsuki ceremony, pounding mochi to bring peace, prosperity, good health, and happiness.

What is the best rice flour for mochi? ›

To make chewy mochi treats, recipes often call for mochiko, Japanese-style dry-milled glutinous rice flour.

Mochi is made from glutinous, short-grain rice, and to achieve its iconic texture, the rice is steamed and repeatedly smashed with traditional hammers or with the help of modern machinery. The pounding motion adds air bubbles to the dough, which creates its unique texture.

Fresh mochi and homemade mochi can get hard/go bad quickly. It's best to consume it within 1-2 days if you leave it at room temperature. Otherwise, you can extend its life by storing mochi in the fridge.

Is Mochi Healthy? Mochi is a versatile and healthy snack, and was popular amongst rice farmers and Samurai for increasing stamina and for its convenient format. Mochi is one of the few carbohydrate sources that is packed with protein, and is free from cholesterol.

Many recipes forget to mention to toast the glutinous rice flour, which makes the mochi bitter. Toasting the glutinous rice flour not only makes it easier to work with the mochi, preventing it from sticking to everything, but it also adds a subtle sweet and nutty flavor.

Pour the ingredients into the prepared baking dish and bake for 45 minutes. You can check the doneness by inserting a toothpick through the mochi, if the toothpick comes out clean, the mochi is done. Cool the mochi in a baking dish on a drying rack. Once cooled to room temperature, cut into squares.

So make sure you work next to the freezer! If you don't plan to eat the mochi within 2 days, freeze them rather than put them in the fridge. Simply defrost them on the countertop for an hour (or 20 minutes for the ice cream ones) or when the dough is soft to the touch.

Why is my mochi so sticky? There are a couple of reasons for sticky dough: Too much liquid was added to the batter. Not enough oil was added to the cooked dough.