Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour (Pack of 3)

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Mochiko is made from glutinous rice, which does not contain gluten. This makes it a good option for people with gluten sensitivities or allergies. Thoroughly grease the baking pan. This will help to achieve clean-cut pieces when you slice the cake. I love the buttery crispy crust (they are all mine!) so I take it seriously. If the butter wrapping has some residual butter, use it to grease the pan. You can also use the leftover in the bowl/measuring cup after melting the butter for greasing. No waste! My family has enjoyed our fair share of butter mochi—from Shueido, a Japanese confectionery store in San Jose, to souvenirs from Hawaii to Naomi’s homemade one (she’s a JOC team member). Today I’m sharing our family’s favorite version. It’s rich but not too sweet with subtle hints of vanilla, butter, and coconut. The interior is wonderfully chewy and the crust is addictively crispy. In addition to mochiko, you will find another sweet rice flour called shiratamako for Japanese desserts like mochi. Both are glutinous rice flour but differ in texture and flavor.

Like many things in Hawaii, it can be difficult to trace the exact origins of butter mochi, but it is certainly a result of many layers of cultural influences. Some claim that it is based on a bibingka, a Filipino coconut rice cake, and another popular Hawaiian sweet, chichi dango (乳団子), which was originally from Hiroshima. The main difference between mochiko and shiratamako is the texture. Both are made from short-grain glutinous mochigome, but mochiko is milled into a fine powder. This results in flour that is very fine and powdery. Shiratamako, on the other hand, is more coarse and granular. What’s the difference between mochiko and glutinous rice flour? Like any flour, mochiko has a shelf life of about six months. Store the unopened box in a dark, dry area away from strong odors and direct sunlight. Once you open the box, transfer it to a sealed container and store the flour in the fridge or freezer. SubstitutionsButter mochi started getting more popular even outside of Hawaii, and now you can find a pre-mix box version at Trader Joe’s in the US. It’s a simple dessert but that’s the allure of it. The Recipe Inspiration There are long-grain rice flours, but they are not great substitutions. The textures and flavors of these rice flour are unsuitable for Japanese sweets. You’d find that most recipes say it only last for 3 days, but I’ve also tested freezing my butter mochi and it tastes just as amazing after defrosting and microwaving to warm it up a little. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Microwave for 5-10 seconds before serving.

Crisp caramelized edges, chewy and gooey in the middle with fragrant coconut flavor, butter mochi is one of the most popular desserts in Hawaii. It’s a sort of hybrid dessert combining Japanese mochi with local coconut cake. Pour batter into pan. Bang pan on towel on the counter a couple of times to get out any air bubbles. Let it rest on counter while you wash up your utensils. (5 minutes) Bang pan on towel again to make sure there are no bubbles. The first difference is mochiko flour is very fine, while shiratamako flour looks more like coarse granules. Making it is simpler than the long, tedious process of shiratamako. The glutinous rice is washed in water to make mochiko, then dehydrated and ground into fine powder. I used to make one 8×8-inch pan. Then, I realized that I preferred to empty out the entire box of mochiko and two cans (coconut and evaporated milk) instead of keeping the half. I don’t use these ingredients for other recipes. If you do, please feel free to make half portion! The next time I went to the local Chinese wholesale market and asked them for flour I could use to make mochi, this ended up being a different brand of glutinous rice flour, which while providing better results, still didn’t work. Both batches ended up having large lumps when I reached the stage where I add sugar.As you see above, ingredients for this recipe are all pantry-friendly. If you have butter and eggs, you can make this any time! If you have an unexpected guest over, butter mochi is a great dessert to make, especially when you serve it warm. Overview: Cooking Steps I highly recommend sprinkling unsweetened coconut flakes on top of the batter before baking. You could also add them to the batter and mix them all up. Butter Mochi Tips

For crispy edges and a chewy center, bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for 45 minutes. I should mention that every oven is different (size, gas/electric, etc), so you may want to test and adjust. A lot of recipes online suggest baking at 350ºF (177ºC) while only a few suggest 375ºF. I personally like to bake mine at 375ºF for 45 minutes for crispy edges and a chewy center. Make sure an inserted skewer comes out clean.

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The ingredients are all the same, but I use salted butter and omit the added salt. It’s such a casual recipe that I’ve found that any brand of salted butter is fine. No one notices a difference. I’m from Hawaii but live mainland side now. My recipe is more local-style, which means it’s more mochi-like than cake-like. Stir in sugar, then eggs one at a time, making sure there are no streaks left after any egg (a whisk is best for this job).