Golden Milk Mochi

Let’s Make Golden Milk Mochi

I am obsessed with Mochi. It is so versatile and so yummy. You can really do anything with it. Truth be told, I’m obsessed with it because it is the evolution of rice–essentially rice but much better. I could eat mochi everyday if given the opportunity.

This type of mochi falls into the category of Nian Gas or new years mochi, which is typically eaten during lunar new years (a lunar calendar holiday that spans for about 15 days–just like Christmas (fun fact)). Normally, lunar new years mochi is typically flavored with ginger and orange, but I wanted to make it spicier. This recipe is inspired by a golden milk chia that I had. I thought it would be quite fun and delicious to fuse Indian and Chinese cuisine together.

This mochi can be airfried for a golden crispy exterior or just eaten immediately after it has been steamed for a striking gold color. Whatever you do, just ensure that you are using GLUTINOUS RICE FLOUR. This type of flour comes from glutinous sticky rice and will give the recipe the correct texture.

1. In a small pot, combine Sugar, Ginger, Cardamom, Turmeric, Salt, Vanilla, and Coconut Milk. Set to boil on medium high heat, and stir. Stirring will help the sugar fully dissolve and prevent the sugar from caramelizing and burning at the bottom of the pot. Once the pot boils, remove the pot from heat and let the coconut milk infusion steep for 15 minutes. This will help the coconut milk to cool down, which is important for the next step.

2. In a blender or bowl, combine Cold Water and the coconut infusion and let sit until room temp. Then, add in Corn Starch, Oil, and Glutinous Rice Flour and blend or mix until smooth. Use Cold Water to cool down the coconut milk infusion. This will ensure that the rice flour and starch doesn’t prematurely cook and become clumpy. Any starch works, such as potato starch or corn starch, I just used corn starch as that is what I had on hand. A whisk can be used to mix the batter until smooth, but a blender just makes everything a lot easier and truly ensures that no lump remains. This mixture will not be overmixed, like cake batter, as this recipe does not contain any gluten, trust me on this.

3. Oil a heat safe 8×5 inch container (or any container), pour in the batter, and steam for 55-60 minutes until a tooth pick comes out clean when inserted into the center. The ultimate time it takes to fully cook depends on the size of the container being steamed, so smaller containers will need to be steamed for a shorter amount of time. When in doubt that the mochi is not finished steaming, allow the mochi steam for another 5-10 minutes. because steaming is such a gentle method of cooking, mochi cannot be over steamed. Add Sesame Seeds on top after the mochi has cooled down for 10 minutes. (Don’t do what the video does, you will likely get an ugly mochi if you do). If adding sesame seeds, sprinkle on the sesame seeds after the mochi has finished cooking and cooled down for 10 minutes. You essentially want to add the seeds when the surface of the mochi is no longer wet but is still sticky to ensure that the sesame seeds stay on. If the sesame seeds are prematurely added before steaming, the sesame seeds may collect water and begin to leak color–making the mochi very ugly. So don’t exactly follow the video (My mistakes—ooops). This tends to happen in a steamer that condensates water poorly.

4. Let the mochi cool for 25 minutes. The mochi can be cut into pieces with an oiled knife and eaten immediately. I prefer to air fry for 15 minutes at 380ºF for a crispy exterior. Mochi can be reheated in the microwave, airfryer, oiled pan, or steamer.