EASIEST BUTTER MOCHI

Photo by James Dannenberg permission by Los Angeles Times.

What is mochi?  A Hawaiian delight.

The first time I tasted it, at a pot-luck, I thought it was bread pudding, not a favorite of mine.  I was wrong. It isn’t bread pudding.  

Eric who brought this almighty dessert is from Kailua, Hawai, on Oahu. Kailua means “where two currents meet together.”  There, butter mochi is a local staple.

The main ingredient of butter mochi is sweet rice flour—short grain, gluten free.
”Mochiko.”

I buy Kado Farms brand  at  an Asian market in LA.*  I did a little research and Walmart sells it, on-line, but one must buy 6 pounds. Best bet is to find an Asian market in your territory, or plan to make a lot of mochi.

The recipe following is for half of Eric’s recipe. Doubled it is a great contribution to a pot-luck which is, of course, where I found it.

utensils: large bowl, 6-inch wire whisk, 8X8 baking pan

8-ounces mochiko flour

2 eggs

½ can coconut milk  (6 ½  ounces)

½ can condensed milk (6 ounces)

½ stick unsalted butter

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sugar

½ teaspoon baking powder

1. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, coconut milk, condensed milk, melted butter and vanilla.

2. Add the sugar slowly, mix in.

3. Add the mochiko slowly, whip until the batter is smooth.

4. Bake in a 325-350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes.

5. Cool. Do not refrigerate. Cut into squares to serve. Will last 3-5 days.

*I always have a good time at the Ranch Market, once I make it through the large trucks burdening the streets of the San Fernando Valley.

     In a mall with Chinese Barbecue restaurant, a Vietnamese restaurant, a shop selling Chinese herbs and an Office Depot, I wander the aisles, listening to (the last time I was there) piped-in Burt Bacharach instrumentals.

     At the market can be found, paper-thin slices of beef for sukiyaki, dried lilies, fresh pork hocks, a dozen varieties of mushrooms, shelves of boxed sauces.   

    I always smile when I pass the tanked live crabs with a warning sign that live crabs bite and children are not allowed to touch or play with them. 

 

      Photo by Carol Guilford