My mom made her homemade Korean mochi while they stayed with us last fall. My dad was craving it, and I hadn’t realized until now how my dad had an enormous sweet tooth. I also had no idea she knew how to make mochi!
When my dad was growing up in Korea, he became really ill to the point of near-death. He remembers eating red bean mochi as he regained his health and had a chance at a second life. He still reminisces that time as he eats this from time to time.
When I was a child, apparently my mom used to make them for us at church, but I have no memory of it. I grew up in Iowa where Korean groceries were scarce. Ingredients for this mochi were easier to find, and this was one of the few things she knew how to make that reminded her of home while living in a foreign country.
What is Mochi?
Mochi means rice cake in Japanese, and they traditionally make it out of pounded short-grain sticky rice. In modern days, people use glutinous rice flour instead for the sake of ease but don’t tell that to the purists.
I’m not sure when exactly Korea adopted mochi, but I imagine it was during Japanese occupation. In Korea, my parent’s generation called it mochi, but now we call it chapssaltteok (찹쌀떡). I would love to learn more about the history of mochi coming to Korea, but google isn’t giving me much. Anyone know?
How to Make Mom’s Korean Mochi Recipe
Course: DessertCuisine: KoreanDifficulty: Easy4
servings20
minutesIngredients
1 Cup Mochiko (sweet rice flour)
1/2 Cup powdered sugar
1 Cup water
1/2 tsp salt
- BLACK SESAME FILLING
6 Tbsp black sesame
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp peanut butter
Directions
- Mix all the filling ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Make the mochi in a large bowl, by mixing the mochiko, powdered sugar, water, and salt. Run all the dry ingredients through a strainer to get rid of any clumps.
- Microwave for 3 minutes.
- Mix again and microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds.
- Spread corn starch on your work area and on your hands, so the mochi doesn’t stick.
- Roll golf sized balls.
- Make a pocket, add the filling, and seal.
Mom’s Notes
- I like the black sesame filling the best, but my dad and mom loves eating it with a red bean filling.
- You can make it the long way, steaming it over the stovetop, but microwaving is much quicker and it tastes just as amazing. Why make things harder?
Mochi Filling Ideas
- Ganache
- Ice Cream
- Cookie Dough
- Nutella
- Sweet red bean
Can you think of any other mochi filling ideas? What did you think about this Korean mochi recipe?
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