NUTELLA MOCHI

Mochi is made by pounding glutinous rice flour to make a sticky, chewy dough. It is then filled with a variety of fillings and eaten as a sweet snack. This is my take on the sweet treat and I hope you agree that it’s nothing short of yummy.

160g (1 cup) glutinous rice flour (see tip below)

cornflour (cornstarch), for dusting

3 tbsp Nutella

3 tbsp crunchy peanut butter

35g (¼ cup) toasted sesame seeds

From the store cupboard

400g (2 cups) sugar

Tip

Glutinous rice flour is made from sweet white rice that becomes moist and sticky once cooked. You can find glutinous rice flour at your local Chinese supermarket or from online suppliers.

You can add any filling you like to mochi, such as red bean paste, black sesame paste, lotus seed paste or even your favourite jam, marmalade or a dollop of frozen ice cream.

Put the rice flour, 180ml (¾ cup) cold water and the sugar into a large microwavable bowl and mix to combine. Cover the bowl with cling film (plastic wrap) and place it into the microwave for 3 minutes on full power. Remove from the microwave and vigorously mix for 3 minutes, then re-cover with cling film and return to the microwave for a further 3 minutes on full power. Vigorously mix again for a further 3 minutes.

Dust your work surface generously with cornflour, turn out the mixture and begin to knead vigorously for up to 10 minutes. The mixture should feel very springy and be medium firm. Separate the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll into balls.

Take one ball and flatten into a disc about 7cm (2¾in) in diameter. Put 1 teaspoon of Nutella and 1 teaspoon of peanut butter into the centre of the disc, then fold in the edges to cover the filling and reshape into a smooth ball. Roll the ball into the toasted sesame seeds to evenly cover and set to one side while you finish the rest.

Once all of the mochi have been made they are ready to serve.