Brilio.net - Mochi is one of Japan's signature foods and is already famous in various parts of the world. This food is made from glutinous rice that is pounded until smooth and becomes a chewy and soft dough. Its unique taste and chewy texture make mochi popular with many people, both as a snack and dessert.
However, for those of you who have tried making mochi at home, you may have experienced challenges when forming the dough. Mochi dough is known to be very sticky, making it often difficult to shape as desired. In fact, many feel frustrated because the dough sticks to their hands or the tools they use.
The stickiness of mochi dough is actually caused by the natural properties of glutinous rice which contains a lot of starch. When this starch is exposed to water, especially when heated, it will thicken and form a sticky texture. This is what makes mochi have the characteristic of being chewy and sticky to the touch, but also a challenge when forming it.
But don't worry, there are a few simple tricks you can try to get around this problem. With a little practice and a few tips, you can make perfect mochi without having to deal with overly sticky dough.
photo: TikTok/@mochimahi
The trick was shown by TikTok user @mochimahi. In his video upload, this mochi seller shared how to deal with sticky mochi dough when it is going to be shaped. First, mix all the mochi ingredients together. Then knead the dough until everything is perfectly mixed.
"Knead until the dough is warm, don't forget to wear gloves," he said, quoted by BrilioFood from TikTok @mochimahi on Wednesday (4/9).
photo: TikTok/@mochimahi
According to the video owner, one of the causes of sticky mochi dough is because there is no mixture of water or oil in it. So the resulting mochi dough is too dense and not elastic. This causes the mochi dough to become sticky when it is formed by hand.
photo: TikTok/@mochimahi
After the mochi dough starts to cool, take the dough with your hands and then form it into a ball. To prevent it from sticking, this netizen seems to use one food ingredient, cornstarch. Then smooth the mochi dough using a rolling pin.
Because of the addition of cornstarch, all sides of the mochi dough are no longer sticky. That way you don't need to make mochi dough from scratch or add glutinous rice flour. Just roll it into balls using your hands, and the mochi is ready to be served.