Hawaii Butter Mochi Recipe (Local Style) (2024)

FAQs

Where did Hawaiian butter mochi come from? ›

Butter mochi is probably a descendant of bibingka, a Filipino cake that marks celebrations and is also borne from the magic of rice flour and coconut milk (though sometimes it's casava), butter mochi is now firmly, of Hawaii. In Hawaii, butter mochi is more popular than brownies, though it's baked into similar tins.

Rice is soaked overnight, steamed and then placed in to a large stone or wooden bowl where it is pounded until it is a smooth and soft consistency. This is blended with condensed or coconut milk and sugar, rolled in to balls or patties which are then served up in an endlessly delicious number of ways .

Butter mochi can last for up to three days left at room temperature. A week in the fridge, or if frozen up to a month. If you freeze the butter mochi to consume simply take them out and put them in the microwave for a minute to defrost.

You'd find that most recipes say it only last for 3 days, but I've also tested freezing my butter mochi and it tastes just as amazing after defrosting and microwaving to warm it up a little. Just like any other home cooking, it's really up to you how you and your family enjoy it.

Butter mochi is a Hawaiian sweet that's typically made from sweet rice flour (or mochiko), coconut milk, butter, sugar, usually a secondary milk like whole or evaporated milk, and sometimes coconut.

Japanese mochi is much stretchier than any mochi in Hawaii, Kojima shared. She explained this is because when making Japanese mochi they use the key ingredient of mochi rice rather than mochi flour, which is less sticky. The New Year holiday and mochi are a popular combination in many communities.

Mochi came to Hawaii with the many thousands of Japanese sugar plantations workers, according to “The Making of Asian America” by Erika Lee. In January of 1885, 941 of the first Japanese Immigrants came to Hawaii. By 1924, there were 200,000 who would make their way to the islands, Lee's book states.

Mochi is one of the few carbohydrate sources that is packed with protein, and is free from cholesterol.

To this day, mochi is a central part of the Japanese New Year celebration, and has been since the year 794. Mochi is regularly sold and consumed around the New Year and is known as a “sign of the season” in Japan. Different types of mochi have represented different things over the the history of mochi.

Fresh mochi and homemade mochi can get hard/go bad quickly. It's best to consume it within 1-2 days if you leave it at room temperature. Otherwise, you can extend its life by storing mochi in the fridge.

Can mochi go bad? ›

The mochi is air sealed in a wrapper before being put in a box. It is dry mochi so it has a lengthy shelf life and does not require refrigeration to stay edible. Once opened eat the contents within the next couple of days. I would say don't hold on to a box longer than 2 months though, just as a precautionary measure.

Many recipes forget to mention to toast the glutinous rice flour, which makes the mochi bitter. Toasting the glutinous rice flour not only makes it easier to work with the mochi, preventing it from sticking to everything, but it also adds a subtle sweet and nutty flavor.

Because it's not dry like traditional cake, mochi cake doesn't even need icing; you can eat it on its own, or top it with toasted coconut, sesame seeds, powdered sugar, or lemon curd.

Store properly: If you have any leftovers, store the butter mochi in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also refrigerate it for longer shelf life. Before serving, you can warm it slightly in the microwave to regain its soft and chewy texture.

However, based on available information, it is most likely that butter mochi is a strictly Hawaiian invention, the result of generations of culinary diffusion from Filipino, Portuguese, Japanese, and Korean cuisines.

Mochi was brought to Hawaii by Japanese plantation workers in the mid-1800's. To ring in the New Year, family and friends come together for the mochitsuki ceremony, pounding mochi to bring peace, prosperity, good health, and happiness.

One of the earliest iterations of mochi donuts can be traced to the development of "poi mochi" by Charmaine Ocasek in Hawaii in 1992. This iteration is a fusion of American donuts and Japanese mochi and "consisted of deep-fried balls of mashed taro and mochiko, a Japanese short-grain sweet rice flour".

Mochi ice cream is a Japanese-American fusion dessert that started in Hawaii. The rice dough holds the little pockets of ice cream together and adds a nice texture. Even just out of the freezer it's not too hard to bite! BMW loves the Dark Chocolate Strawberry flavor and I really like the Green Tea.