These "Warabi Mochi わらび餅" are soft, chewy, and jiggly. Dusted with nutty roasted soybean powder and drizzled with brown sugar syrup. Made with tapioca starch which is easier to find than warabiko.
What is Warabi Mochi?
Warabi mochi わらび餅 is a Japanese dessert that is traditionally made with bracken starch or warabiko. Often dusted with roasted soybean powder or matcha and served with a brown sugar syrup. It is quite different than mochi, which is made from glutinous rice. Warabi mochi's texture is more jelly-like.
What is Kinako and Kuromitsu?
The mochi itself is sweet without any flavoring. They are dusted with kinako(Japanese roasted soybean powder), which has a nutty flavor similar to peanuts. Then drizzled with kuromitsu(Japanese brown sugar syrup sauce) which compliments the soybean perfectly. Truly a match made in heaven!
Why Tapioca Starch?
Traditionally in Japan, warabi mochi is made with warabiko or bracken starch. However, it is quite a rare ingredient to find. This version is far from authentic, but uses tapioca starch which can be found at almost all asian supermarkets.
Tapioca starch or sometimes known as tapioca flour, is also the main ingredient that goes into making boba in bubble tea. Tapioca starch/flour cannot be replaced with regular flour, nor cornstarch.
Key Ingredients
Tapioca Starch: Sometimes referred to as tapioca flour. This is the main ingredient that goes into making tapioca pearls(boba) in bubble tea. Tapioca starch needs to be heated in order to set up and give the mochi their chewy texture. You can find this in most asian supermarkets.
Sugar: For the warabi mochi, I used white granulated sugar. Other sugars will work but the mochi will a tint.
Brown Sugar: Dark brown sugar is used to make the kuromitsu brown sugar syrup. This has the richest flavor and color. In Germany, dark brown sugar can be found in asian supermarkets.
KinakoPowder(黄粉 or きなこ): Kinako is a Japanese roasted soybean powder. In Korean, it is known as injeolmi powder. Both will work and can also be found at an asian supermarket. The flavor is nutty and comparable to peanut.
Cook mochi on low/medium heat: You do not want your mochi to burn!
Whisk constantly: This will prevent burning and lumps.
Lightly oil your pan: I've tried with and without oil, neither of them cause any problems with sticking, but better safe than sorry!
Be generous with the kinako: The mochi is very sticky once set. Make sure to dust your cutting board generously with soybean powder so it doesn't stick to your surface. Then dust the top with more powder to ensure clean cut pieces.
Cut straight down: When cutting the mochi, use a sharp knife and push straight down rather than using a sawing motion. Sawing will just cause the mochi to tear and stick to the knife.
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Add all mochi ingredients to a pot. Mix thoroughly with a rubber spatula to ensure no lumps.
Stir constantly over low-medium heat. The mixture will start to thicken. Continue stirring until the mixture turns clear (~10min).
Pour mochi into a lightly oiled pan and refrigerate around 3 hours or until set
To make the kuromitsu syrup, add brown sugar and water to a small saucepan. Simmer until thickened and able to coat the back of a spoon. Refrigerate.
Once mochi has set, dump onto a soybean powder dusted cutting board. Dust more powder on top and slice mochi into cubes. Finally, roll in more soybean powder.
Serve with a light drizzle of syrup and enjoy!
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Thank you for sharing the recipe!! It was so fun to make and I’m glad to have a stock of toasted soybean powder in the pantry now! Will definitely be making this again 🙂
Tapioca flour is ideal if you're looking for a sweet rice flour substitute for baked goods. It can help create foods that require a chewy consistency, like cookies and brownies. Tapioca flour works in a 1:1 ratio as a substitute. You can also use it to make mochi at home.
Okay, remember how I said that mochi was a rice candy? Well, that's not necessarily always true. Technically it can also be made with potato starch, arrowroot flour, sago starch, or tapioca starch. However rice, namely short-grain rice, is still by far the most popular method.
Okay, and this looks like it may be obvious, but Tapioca starch is Tapioca Flour. Yes.They are, in fact, the same product; they are just labeled differently from brand to brand. The fiber is removed from the starch of the dried cassava, so it is referred to as tapioca starch.
The main difference between regular mochi and warabi mochi is the main ingredient. The former uses glutinous rice/mochigome (糯米) while the latter is made of bracken starch. Warabi or bracken is a kind of fern. The starch is sourced from its underground stem or rhizomes.
Tapioca flour, a starchy by-product of the cassava root, is a versatile ingredient that can be used in many ways in the kitchen. Although not recommended for frying, tapioca flour is perfect for baking and thickening. It shares a similar consistency with rice flour, making it an ideal substitute.
While substituting glutinous rice flour for tapioca starch is not a perfect match, it will help provide a similar chewy and sticky consistency. It's important to note that sweet rice flour is a raw flour. When using this flour, it must be thoroughly cooked before eating and cannot be eaten raw.
If you cannot get your hands on potato starch, feel free to replace it with cornstarch, but do not use other starch like tapioca. When it comes to flour, the adequate substitute for shiratamako is mochiko sweet rice flour.
Mochi is a traditional Japanese sweet treat made from glutinous rice that has been pounded into a sticky, chewy, and slight gummy dough. The word “mochi” comes from the Japanese verb “motsu” which means “to pound”, and this process of pounding the rice is what gives mochi its unique texture.
While cornstarch loses its texture in the freezer, tapioca starch remains consistent and does not turn gummy. Tapioca starch is also a good substitute for cornstarch when you need to thicken a sauce after cooking. To substitute tapioca starch for cornstarch, use two tablespoons for every tablespoon of cornstarch.
If you're in a pinch, you can swap all-purpose flour evenly for tapioca flour in most recipes, but keep in mind that all-purpose flour contains gluten. The swap may affect the texture of baked goods slightly—they'll have a little less chew and be slightly more dense.
The bottom line. Tapioca is high in carbs and calories, so it is not a traditionally healthful food. However, it can help a person meet the recommended daily allowance of several important nutrients. It can also be a tasty, nutritious food choice for people who need to gain weight.
Traditionally, warabimochi was made from Warabiko, Bracken starch. This substance is rare and expensive so nowadays, you don't see it around anymore. What is commonly sold in Japan instead is Warabimochi made from Warabimochiko – a mixture of other starches used to imitate the result of the original Warabimochi.
Warabi mochi is typically eaten during the summer months and served chilled. Unlike regular mochi, it has a much softer, jelly-like texture. In Japan, it often comes in a variety of flavors and toppings, such as matcha green tea and black sesame.
Hon warabiko is brown in color and sold as small, highly perishable, clay-like clumps of starch that must be stored at room temperature. As an alternative to pricey hon warabiko, many Japanese stores offer warabi mochiko made from tapioca starch or sweet potato starch.
Firstly, assess the desired texture and consistency of your recipe. If you are seeking a smoother and glossier finish, tapioca flour may be the better choice. However, if you prefer a lighter and softer texture, rice flour would be more suitable.
Glutinous rice flour, also known as sticky rice flour, brings mochi skin a special stretchy taffy-like texture. If we substitute glutinous rice flour with wheat flour or regular rice flour, we will end up with a thick doughy flour paste.
Introduction: My name is Arielle Torp, I am a comfortable, kind, zealous, lovely, jolly, colorful, adventurous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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