Sweet green tea mochi with a simple recipe

Green Tea Mochi is timeless Japanese sweet enjoyed by all ages. As a traditional dessert found at any Hawaiian party, perfectly chewy with a hint of sweetness. Serve the matcha-flavored mochi with green tea or hojicha for a delightful Japanese afternoon tea!

WHAT IS MOCHI ?

Mochi is a very popular rice cake in Japan. It is made from a unique type of glutinous rice called mochigome. The grains are round and sweet. When boiled or steamed, the rice grains stick together. Afterwards, the rice is mashed to form a paste which is shaped into buns the size of your palm. Mochi has a similar form called dango. It is made from sweet rice flour or mochiko. A soft and chewy dough is made which can be used to form small pieces to eat.

Mochi is something you can’t get away from in Japan. It’s one of Japan’s most interesting foods, and it’s so chewy and delicious that mochi alone will have you yearning to return to an authentic Japanese mochi shop once your vacation is over.

The mochi is made into a variety of foods that are loved as much for their taste as the fun way you eat them. Mochi balls resemble the texture of marshmallows and become chewy when cold.

MATCHA MOCHI

What are the health benefits of Mochi?

Mochi has high protein content due to the short grain sticky rice as the main ingredient. A single serving contains about a 100 calories per 50 grams of Mochi. It is free from gluten, low in saturated fat and cholesterol. It is also a good source of Vitamins A, C, E (Alpha Tocopherol), and K, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, and Phosphorus. Finally, Mochi is a very good source of Riboflavin, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Copper, and Manganese.

Matcha is basically the posh version of Green Tea. It’s not bitter and it’s 3 to 10 times more expensive than Green Tea. Matcha is a truly amazing Green Tea. It’s full of health benefits. The The antioxidant EGCG in matcha has been attributed to boosting metabolism, helping ward off cancer, detoxifying the body, and helping to calm the mind. Matcha green tea is rich in vitamin C, selenium, zinc, chromium, and magnesium.

Historically, Mochi has been used by people for centuries as a quick snack. Farmers and samurai packed it along for longer work hours to increase stamina. It is often combined with seaweed, another ingredient with many health benefits.

GREEN TEA MOCHI RECIPE

Ingredients

• Cornstarch/potato starch/or tapioca starch – for dusting
• Rice flou – 300 g, glutinous
• Sugar – 2 tbsp
• Salt – 1/4 tsp
• Water – 225 ml, warm, more if needed
• Green food colouring – few drops
• Beans – 350 g, white, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
• Green tea powder- 2 tbsp
• Sugar – 110 g
• Honey- 1 tbsp

Step 01

For the green tea mochi dough

•  To prepare the green tea mochi dough start mixing together all the dry ingredients and stir with a fork, until well incorporated.
• Add the warm water and the food colouring, then mix to a dough. If it is too crumbly, add more water.
   Set aside and cover with a damp cloth.

Step 02

For the green tea mochi filling

• Heat the beans, green tea powder and sugar in a pan and mix well.
• Cook gently for about 15 minutes until the beans begin to break down.
• Mash the mixture and stir in the honey.
• Place in a bowl, cool then chill.
• Tear off tablespoon-sized portions of dough and shape into small, rounded discs with damp hands.
  Spoon the bean paste into a small piping bag.
• Squeeze a thumb-sized amount of paste into the centre of each disc, then bring the sides of the disc up and pinch it together around the paste.
• Place the balls on non-stick baking paper sprinkled with cornflour.
• Place a few balls at a time in the top of a steamer – don’t let them to touch each other or they wil stick together.
• Steam for 15-20 minutes until translucent, and very sticky and soft.
• Use a spoon to scoop the green tea mochi balls out and roll in cornflour to coat.
• Leave the green tea mochi to cool, serve and enjoy!

Note: Dust your fingers and palms with starch and flatten a piece of dough while it is still hot and put in the filling, then wrap dough around the filling and seal the opening with a tight pinch. Try to shape dough into a smooth round ball. Repeat until all dough is used up. Let the mochi cool before serving.

Matcha Mochi is one of those recipes you cannot NOT do. It’s like climbing Mt. Fuji. You have to do it at least once in your life. Matcha Mochi is pretty good, it is very chewy (not an understatement), actually too chewy. In fact, do not give Mochi to young kids because it can be a choking hazard.

Source:

– kyotoryokansakura.com

– visiontimes.com

– kirbiecravings.com

– finedininglovers.com