Brown Rice Mochi

Years ago I used to purchase brown rice mochi from the natural foods co-op. We'd cut the brown block into squares and bake them until they puffed up and became crunchy on the outside with a chewy middle and eat them warm with some honey.

Sadly the Wedge Coop has stopped stocking that item, but my kids have been asking for these anew since our trip to Tokyo this summer. Figuring that I could make them from scratch, I set out to find a recipe. Turns out this is a trickier process than I imagined and I'm not sure I've worked it all out yet, but give it a try!

Brown Rice Mochi
Makes about 30 squares
Adapted from Scratch Eats

2 1/4 cups brown sweet rice
1 cup water, plus hot water for soaking
salt

Rinse the rice and soak in a generous amount of hot water overnight. (I do this in my covered rice cooker.) Drain, add 1 cup of cold water, a pinch of salt and cook in a rice cooker until done. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.

Pound rice in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment for 4-5 minutes. The rice should be sticky with some distinct rice grains. Scoop the rice onto the prepared pan and spread to ~1/4" thickness using a second layer of parchment paper (not wax paper) and your hands or a rolling pin.

Broil on low for 3-5 minutes. Cut into 1 1/4" squares with a heavy knife. Lift the parchment paper off the pan, line the pan with more parchment paper and flip the rice onto the re-lined pan. Peel back the old paper and broil again until puffed and golden brown.

Re-cut and separate the squares if necessary. Store in a tightly lidded container in the fridge. To reheat, toast lightly in a dry non-stick frying pan. Serve with honey or sweet red bean paste.