Sweet Potato Mochi

December 15, 2020

A different spin on your usual mochi flavors. This mochi replaces red bean paste with a homemade sweet potato paste. This deceptively simple recipe is slightly reminiscent of sweet potato pie but in a not too sweet, delightfully chewy, soft dough. Fresh mochi is a game changer, and if you haven’t tried to make it at home, this is your chance!

Ingredients

Filling

1 sweet potato

¼ cup of brown sugar

¼ tsp of salt

Dough

Potato starch or cornstarch for dusting

1 cup of glutinous rice flour or mochiko

1 Tbsp of sugar

3/4 cup of water

¼ tsp of salt

2 Tbsp of roasted soybean flour-optional

Directions

1. For the filling, prick the sweet potato all over with a fork. Place it in a microwave for 5 minutes, turning halfway through. Use a skewer or paring knife to check the tenderness. If it’s not soft all the way through, microwave in 30-second increments until done.
2. Once tender and cooled slightly, peel the sweet potato. Put the sweet potato, brown sugar, and salt in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. 
3. Spread the puree in a non-stick pan. Heat on low for 20-30 minutes or until the puree darkens in color and does not stick to your fingers when touched. Stir and spread every so often so the bottom does not burn. 
4. Place sweet potato paste in a container and refrigerate until firm and cool. 
5. For the dough, mix together the glutinous rice flour, sugar, salt, and water in a microwaveable bowl. The dough should feel almost like playdough. If it’s too soft, add rice flour 1 Tbsp at a time. If it’s too dry, add water 1 Tbsp at a time. 
6. Cover the bowl with Saran wrap and microwave for 3 minutes. 
7. Carefully unwrap your bowl and mix the dough thoroughly with a spatula. Microwave again for 1 minute. The dough should now look translucent and be incredibly sticky. 
8. Dust your work surface liberally with starch and wrangle dough onto your surface. Dust the top with starch. With a starch dusted knife, cut your dough into equal portions. Cover the dough with towel or saran wrap to prevent drying. 
9. Take your chilled sweet potato paste and roll into ½ or 1 Tbsp balls. 
10. Take a portion of dough and flatten into a disc with starch covered hands. Place a ball of paste in the center. Use your fingers to stretch the dough around the filling and pinch the edges shut at the top to seal your mochi. Make sure to keep the portions of dough you’re not using under a towel or saran wrap. This dough can dry really fast. 
11. Dust your mochi with more starch or roasted soybean powder and enjoy! Eat immediately or store in an airtight container for up to a day. 

This recipe was created by Local Roots Recipe Contributor Katie Yun / @bothand.nyc

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