Sasa mochi has the perfect balance of comforting taste of mochi and refreshing fragrance of bamboo!
ABOUT SASA MOCHI 笹餅
Sasa mochi (笹餅) is a traditional Japanese sweet typically made in the summer. It is a local sweet of Niigata prefecture, a rice growing region in Japan. It is similar to it’s more well known cousin, sasa dango (笹団子), as both are wrapped in sasa bamboo leaves. Both are typically made when the sasa leaves come into season, but the leaves can be harvested and frozen to be used at a future time, allowing us to enjoy this dessert year-round. Sasa mochi is made by forming the mochi dough, wrapping in bamboo leaves, and then steaming. The bamboo leaves provide antibacterial properties while the steaming process gives a bamboo fragrance to the mochi. The mochi can be pounded with yomogi or anko (sweet red bean paste) or served with kinako (roasted soybean flour). I prefer it plain, but try experimenting and see what you like!
There are many ways of wrapping, but traditionally sasa mochi is wrapped without the use of a string. Typically it is folded in a triangle shape, allowing you to tuck in the loose flap into itself. However, because I made these inspired by Nanami’s from Kamisama Kiss, I simply rolled the mochi in the bamboo leaf and kept it together using a toothpick. If you find yourself having trouble folding into a triangle, I recommend this method! Below I’ve gone into detail about how to do both methods, so try out both and see which you prefer! In my video on TikTok, I also showed a way to wrap the mochi in a rectangular shape, but this was a bit difficult, so if you want to know how to do it that way, please let me know!
MATERIALS
- ☆ Steamer
- You can use a metal or bamboo steamer! Anything you have is fine.
INGREDIENTS (+ SUBSTITUTIONS)
This is a basic list and explanation of the key ingredients. For full list and measurements, please scroll down to the recipe below!
- ☆ Mochiko
- In this sasa mochi recipe, we use glutinous rice flour called mochiko. Mochiko (もち粉) is made from a Japanese glutinous short-grain rice called mochigome (もち米). It is similar to shiratamako, and used in similar ways, but it does differ slightly in texture. Mochiko or any other glutinous rice flour is suitable in this recipe. These days mochiko is found in many grocery stores, so use what’s most available to you!
- ☆ Joshinko
- Joshinko is Japanese rice flour made from ground Japanese short-grain rice. Typically sasa mochi doesn’t use joshinko, but I like to use a mix of both glutinous rice flour and rice flour to create a texture that is both soft and chewy. I explained more about the flour ratios in my sanshoku dango recipe if you’re interested in reading more!
- ☆ Granulated sugar
- This makes the mochi sweet. If you mix other ingredients into the mochi dough to flavor it, such as sweet red bean paste, you will need to adjust the amount of sugar accordingly.
- ☆ Salt
- Just a small pinch to balance the sweetness and add savoriness.
- ☆ Water
- ☆ Bamboo leaves
- Bamboo leaves are a major part of this dessert. The bamboo leaves hold the mochi together as well as add an earthy fragrance. Bamboo leaves also have antibacterial properties and contain vitamins and minerals, providing health benefits.
- ☆ Vegetable oil
- Just a little oil is used to prevent the mochi from sticking to the bamboo leaves.
HOW TO WRAP SASA MOCHI
Before we begin wrapping, make sure to wipe off excess moisture from the bamboo leaf and wipe a little oil!
Rolling With Toothpick
- Shape one portion of the mochi into a sphere and roll the mochi in the bamboo leaf to wrap it.
- Pierce the mochi with a toothpick to hold in place. This forms a log which exposes the mochi at both ends, so be careful it doesn’t seep out when steaming as it will stick.
Triangular/Conical
- Create a slight cone shape by folding up the stem side of the leaf until the stem is mostly perpendicular to the edge of the leaf and the folded edge lines up with the opposite edge of the leaf. Place the ball of mochi into the pocket, pushing slightly to fit it all in.
- Wrap the leaf over the exposed mochi and tuck the leaf into the fold created when you wrapped the cone shape. Repeat for the remaining 3 mochi.
TIPS FOR MAKING SASA MOCHI
- ☆ The dough may take a while to fully incorporate, but just keep working at it. It should come together in one smooth ball and be able to rip apart cleanly.
- ☆ I prefer to eat it fresh when the mochi is still a bit warm, but eating it cooled down is just as tasty! Keep in mind that when the mochi cools down, it may harden, but it can become soft again by steaming again for a couple minutes or by microwaving with a cup of water for a minute.
MORE WAGASHI/JAPANESE SWEETS RECIPES! ♡
If you recreate this Sasa Mochi recipe, please let me know by tagging me or leaving a comment on Instagram @maruryouri or TikTok @atsuryouri. I’d love to see your creations and hear your feedback!
Sasa Mochi
Equipment
- Steamer basket
Ingredients
- 90 g mochiko
- 30 g joshinko
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 80 ml water
- 4 bamboo leaves
- Vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the mochiko, joshinko, sugar, and salt.
- Add the water and mix together while kneading with a silicone spatula. The dough should hold together and easily rip apart from each other. Divide the mochi dough into 4 equal portions.
- Prepare the bamboo leaves by wiping off any excess moisture. Bamboo leaves have a smooth top side and a rough bottom side where the ridges are more visible. Lightly wipe oil on the smooth top side to make sure the sasa mochi does not stick to the leaf after steaming.
Wrapping Mochi
- Regardless of how you want to wrap it, we will shape one portion of the mochi into a sphere and wrap with one bamboo leaf.
- You can wrap the mochi by simply rolling it in the leaf and holding it in place using a toothpick, forming a log with the mochi showing out of both ends. This is easier to do, but you can also wrap the mochi into a more conical, triangle shape.
- To form the triangular shape, create a slight cone shape by folding up the stem side of the leaf until the stem is mostly perpendicular to the edge of the leaf and the folded edge lines up with the opposite edge of the leaf. Place the ball of mochi into the pocket, pushing slightly to fit it all in.
- Wrap the leaf over the exposed mochi and tuck the leaf into the fold created when you wrapped the cone shape. Repeat for the remaining 3 mochi.
Steaming
- Place all 4 mochi in a steamer basket and steam on high heat for 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool enough to handle, and the sasa mochi is done! 完成です！
Notes
- If you don’t have a steamer basket you can place the sasa mochi on a wire rack or sieve and suspend it over a pot with a lid. Boil water to steam and use the pot’s lid to cover the mochi.