A Recipe for Honey Rose Almond Mochi
Sabrina Fauda-Rôle's master mochi dough ----> so many sweet iterations.
Hi all, hope everyone had a lovely, long holiday weekend. I spent this past week in Boston visiting family—and between that, work, seafood lunches by the Cape, and urban sketching on the Freedom Trail, I regrettably wasn’t able to send out a dispatch. (That said, thank you so much for your understanding. I’ll keep things short this week, but we’ll return to our regularly-scheduled programming next Wednesday). 😉
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The recipe box is a collection of recipes and techniques from my favorite cookbooks—everything from up-and-coming titles to tried-and-true favorites from my collection. (Though you may see some original recipes here from time to time, too 😉) You can check out TOD’s archive of past recipes here if you’re looking for some meal inspiration.
Making mochi is, traditionally, a pretty labor-intensive endeavor. Glutinous rice is washed and rinsed a day or two in advance, cooked, and later pounded down by large mallets (this is a job often requiring two people) until it creates a tender, chewy consistency that’s prime for a variety of toppings and fillings. It’s certainly a labor of love, but there’s a way to make this beloved dessert at home using glutinous rice flour (also known as sweet rice flour) that’s streamlined and doesn’t require quite the strenous workout. In her cookbook “Mochi,” Sabrina Fauda-Rôle teaches you how to master this one … well, master mochi dough that becomes your blank canvas for tons of delicious iterations—whether it’s filling it with fresh fruit or red bean paste for a sweet accompaniment to tea or coffee, or with ice cream to make a summer treat.
This recipe below for a honey rose almond mochi is just one of the many ways you can dress up this basic foolproof mochi dough. Just be sure to pick up the right rice flour when you’re at the store. Rice flour has many faces and forms—Andrea Nguyen wrote a nifty primer last year breaking some of them down—but the high starch content of glutinous rice flour (also known as sweet rice flour) is needed to achieve the soft, pillowy chew we’re going for here.
Makes 12 mochi
Mochi dough
120 grams sugar
A pinch of salt
7 fluid ounces cold water
Red food coloring
Cornstarch or potato starch for rolling
Filling
100 grams almond flour
20 grams almond butter
30 grams flavored honey (such as lavender or chestnut)
30 grams powdered sugar
¾ ounces water
2 drops rose water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Mix the almond flour with the almond butter, powdered sugar, water, and rose water. Make 12 small heaps from the mixture, and place on a small plate lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 30 minutes.
Take the plate out and sprinkle each mound with cornstarch. Roll them into balls and place them back in the freezer.
Prepare the mochi dough. In a microwave-safe bowl, mix the glutinous rice flour, sugar, and salt. Gradually add the cold water, stirring constantly so as not to create lumps. Add the food coloring, drop by drop, to achieve the desired color.
Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap, and heat in the microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir lightly with a spatula. Cover and cook in the microwave for another 1 minute. Stir again, cover, and return to the microwave for 30 seconds.
Sprinkle cornstarch over a work surface. Place the still-hot dough on the work surface and sprinkle it with a thin layer of cornstarch.
Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces (each should weigh about 40 grams).
Form each dough ball into a disc (dust your hands with cornstarch to prevent sticking). Place the cold almond filling ball into the center of the disc, gather the edges and pinch them together to form a seal. Roll the ball between your hands to place it on a plate, seam side down.
Repeat to form the remaining mochi, then place them in the fridge. Take the mochi out 30 minutes before serving and let them come to room temperature.
Note: The dough can also be prepared in a saucepan by mixing the ingredients over medium heat for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly with a spatula, until the dough is sticky but not too runny.
Recipe adapted from “Mochi: Make Your Own at Home” by Sabrina Fauda-Rôle. Copyright © 2024. Used with permission of Smith Street Books. All rights reserved.