Whole Wheat Mochi Recipe - Japanese Rice Cake Recipe

This is a non-traditional recipe for a pretty traditional tasting mochi using a grinder and a pressure cooker. You can use a microwave instead of a pressure cooker also. 5 to 10 minutes depends on microwaves.

What I used:

• 1 cup of whole wheat sweet brown rice (you cannot use regular short grain sushi rice )
  
• 3/4 cup of water
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
  

• Some cornstarch to keep mochi from sticking to each other

Directions:

1. Grind sweet brown rice with a grinder. (you can use store bought sweet brown rice powder if you want. I just can't get them at where I live.)
2. Mix the ground rice with water well. Use a mixing bowl you can put in a pressure cooker.
3. Add some water in a Pressure cooker, put the bowl with the rice mixture in the cooker. Cook the mixture for 10 minutes after the pressure regulator begins to rock. Let the cooker cool - do not put a cold water to let it cool faster.
4. Put the hardened mochi dough onto a hard surface. Use water to keep the dough from sticking to things. Add salt and kneed dough by folding for 3 to 5 minutes. Add water if necessary to make the dough moderately stiff, but still elastic. Now your Mochi is done!

How to make Maru-Mochi (round mochi):

1. Divide the dough into 12 pieces.
   
2. Shape each portion into round. Use water to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.
   
3. Dust them with cornstarch.
   

How to make Noshi-Mochi (flat square mochi):

1. Move the dough onto a baking sheet, plastic wrapped and powdered with cornstarch, and spread it flat by hands to about 1/2 inch thick.
   
2. Sprinkle cornstarch on top, cover the top with a plastic wrap as well.
3. Once the dough is hard enough - 2 to 4 hours in a fridge should do - cut them into about 2 inchs by 3 inchs rectangles. Dust the cut surfaces with cornstarch.

These Mochi should stay soft for a couple of days in a fridge. You can freeze them also. When you are ready to use them, you can just pop them into a toaster oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

Please check my other posts for Japanese Desserts also! If you have a chance to try out any of the recipes, please let me know how you liked it.