Its not just for mochi.
Krit of Studio OMG/Getty Images
Mochi is a popular Japanese dessert.
These round, colorful confections are made from dough wrapped around ice creamhence why theyre frozen.
Photo:Krit of Studio OMG/Getty Images
To make the dough, youll need a popular ingredient called mochi flour (aka mochiko).
But what is mochi flour, exactly?
Its made from finely milled sweet rice, which is why its also called sweet rice flour.
Heres how mochi flour is made, what it tastes like, and how to cook with it.
What Is Mochi Flour?
Mochi flour is a key ingredient in mochi and other recipes.
Its made from a sweet variety of short-grainwhite rice.
Its likely to have been invented in Japan thousands of years ago.
What Is Mochi Flour Made Of?
Mochi flour is made from one simple ingredientrice.
Specifically, its made from short-grain sweet or sticky rice, such as Mochigome rice.
True mochi flavor is made from glutinous rice, which is also used to makesticky rice.
Because of the variety of rice used to make mochi flour, its sometimes called glutinous rice flour.
This refers to the stickiness of the ricemochi rice is naturallygluten-free.
What Does Mochi Flour Taste Like?
Mochi flour isnt meant to be eaten on its own or raw.
Generally, mochi flour has a neutral taste and contributes more to a recipes texture than its flavor.
The sweet flavor of mochi flour is more pronounced when used to make desserts like mochi.
The outer doughy part of mochi is made from mochi flour,sugar,cornstarch, and milk.
Thanks to the sugar, mochi dough tastes sweet.
Other ingredients may also be added for flavor, sweetness, and color.
Green tea and strawberry are common mochi flavors.
How Does Mochi Flour Differ From Rice Flour?
Mochi flour is a pop in of rice flour, so the two have some similarities.
Mochi flour is made from a punch in of short-grain glutinous rice, such as Mochigome rice.
Its also called sweet or sticky rice.
Because mochi flour is made from starchy rice, it yields a more chewy and sticky texture.
Regular rice flour isnt as stretchy as mochi flour.
How to Cook With Mochi Flour
You may be familiar with mochi flour in mochi desserts.
You only need a few ingredients and some time to heat and roll out the dough.
Once you wrap the dough around a ball of ice cream, youve got homemade mochi.
For example, in Chinese cuisine, mochi flour is added to puddings to thicken them.
