Tips For Making Fried Mochi Balls

Mochi balls are cakes that feature cute round buns stuffed with chewy and soft rice. It is made by first steaming the rice and then pounding and mashing it. As a result, sticky rice mass is achieved, which is then shaped into the final mochi shape and is either baked or boiled. Today, there is a huge variety of fried mochi balls out there with different ingredients such as chocolate. 

You can make mochi pancakes, mochi brownies, and even waffles for that matter. The key to making the perfect mochi recipes lies in creating the ideal fried mochi balls. Once you have achieved that, you can experiment with different ingredients to make things interesting. 

What Is Mochi?

Mochi is basically a Japanese cake stuffed with sweet rice. It includes short grain glutinous rice that is mashed and pounded to turn it into a paste. In Japanese culture, Mochi is assumed to bring good fortune. This is why it is mostly consumed during New Year. Amongst the popular mocha recipes, the poi mochi is the most famous. 

What Is Poi?

Poi is made from mashed and steamed Kalo taro root, which is then thinned using water. While Poi is considered to be Hawai’i’s ultimate food staple. Kalo on the other hand in the native Hawaiian culture is highly revered. Plus, the Hawaiian people believe that the Kalo plant is their original ancestor. Perhaps a chief characteristic of Poi is that you can leave them inside an air-tight container over the counter for a few days. 

If you leave them like that, they will go through a fermentation process. This process changes the taste. Poi is eaten both fresh and sour. Some people prefer it fresh out of the bag. If you wish to store it for longer, you can store the poi inside an air-tight container but this time inside a refrigerator. 

Where Can I Find Poi?

Since Poi is very famous amongst the Hawaiians, you can find it at almost every local store. However, you find it difficult if you are on the mainland. But you should not be worried. You can look it up on the internet and check websites that sell Poi. You will surely find something. 

What Are The Health Benefits of Poi?

Poi is a healthy food item. It has several benefits to offer. To begin with, it is low in fat, which means that you can consume a heavy amount without having to add on weight. Plus, it is high in vitamins as well which ensures that your body especially the bones receives a sufficient amount of important compounds. Perhaps the biggest benefit of Poi is that it is easily digestible. People who suffer from digestive problems will find it easy to pass through. And since it is gluten-free too, it makes for great baby food. 

How To Store Poi Mochi?

Poi Mochi should be eaten fresh. You can consume it after a day or two but by then it will become quite soggy. If you plan on eating a few mochi balls, you should store the rest of the batch inside an air-tight container inside a refrigerator or freeze it in a zip-top bag for several months. When you plan on making Poi Mochi again, you can defrost the frozen batches overnight or in warm water.

How To Make Poi Mochi?

To make Poi Mochi, you need to heat the cooking oil over medium-high heat to about 350-375F. Meanwhile, you should put together water, sugar, poi, and mochiko flour. Mix all the ingredients until fully combined. At a point, the dough will become thick muffin butter. Then, grab a small cookie scoop and place a small amount of dough inside the cooking oil. 

Fry the dough until it turns golden brown. It will take around 10-12 minutes while turning halfway to ensure that each side is fried properly. Then, pull out the mochi balls and place them on a paper towel to catch the excess oil. Allow to cool a bit and enjoy. 

Final Word

Even though in Japan, mochi balls are mostly consumed during New Year but considering how easy it is to make, you can experiment with different ingredients and have a treat each time for lunch and dinner. Just make sure that you fry each side properly and combine the ingredients well.