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 🙂
Warabimochi is made from honwarabiko, which is expensive and very hard to find, or warabimochiko, which is made from a substitute starch. Common substitute starches are made from sweet potato, tapioca, or Japanese arrowroot.
Warabimochi (蕨餅, warabi-mochi) is a wagashi (Japanese confection) made from warabiko (bracken starch) and covered or dipped in kinako (sweet toasted soybean flour). Kuromitsu syrup is sometimes poured on top before serving as an added sweetener.
Warabi mochi, a beloved Japanese treat, distinguishes itself from regular mochi by employing bracken starch instead of rice flour for its creation. This choice results in a soft, jelly-like texture that sets it apart.
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.
All you need is three ingredients, Tapioca Starch, Milk, and Sugar. Many recipes use Glutinous Rice Flour (which you can as well), but I find the texture and “taste” of tapioca Starch resemble more traditional mochi you find in Taiwan. The key to making good mochi is PATIENCE.
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.
Warabi is the Japanese word for the fern known in English as bracken. Unlike in much of the West, warabi have multiple culinary uses in Japan and neighboring East Asian cuisines; in Japan they're considered a sansai, which is the vast category of vegetables associated with traditionally being foraged from the wild.
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.
Warabi mochi made with 100% warabi/bracken starch is more brownish or blackish color. The package comes in clay-colored pebbles (not powders). If you refrigerate warabi mochi, it gets hard. Therefore, true warabi mochi is stored at room temperature all times and it only lasts for a day.
In fact, warabi mochi has a similar taste to unflavored tapioca pearls, as they are both made from the starch of tubers. While the flavor mainly comes from the additional toppings it is served with, the mochi's texture is key. The jelly texture of properly-made warabi mochi is so soft that it melts in your mouth.
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.
What Is Mochi Made Of? You can buy sweetened red bean paste (also called adzuki bean paste or anko) at the store or you can make it at home with our easy recipe. Make sure to get glutinous rice flour (mochigome) instead of regular rice flour. This ingredient is essential for mochi's signature chewy texture.
Amylopectin is is much more hygroscopic than amylose, which for people who didn't major in chemistry means that Amylopectin absorbs more water. Mochi in its simplest form is just a chewy elastic dough made from fully hydrated Amylopectin.
Can you make mochi with regular flour, or without using rice or rice flour? Short answer: No. Long answer: Still no, but there are scientific reasons why. Today, I'll break down what mochi actually is, and why it can't be made without actual rice flour.
Rice flour is the best glutinous rice flour alternative. Furthermore, most rice flour substitutes, such as potato starch, cornstarch, and tapioca starch, will also serve as sweet rice flour substitutes.
Mochi flour is indeed rice flour. But it's milled from a special type of rice called glutinous rice. This short-grain rice is so high in starch that it turns incredibly sticky when cooked!
Make sure to get glutinous rice flour (mochigome) instead of regular rice flour. This ingredient is essential for mochi's signature chewy texture. Green tea powder (or matcha) has a complex, earthy flavor that works well with mochi. Plus, it gives the dessert its gorgeous green color.
Introduction: My name is Dr. Pierre Goyette, I am a enchanting, powerful, jolly, rich, graceful, colorful, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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