OFF THE SHELF
Mochiko often used in Asian desserts or to thicken sauces

By Kaui Philpotts

The mochiko in the familiar box is from California. In the bag, packaged for the Vietnamese market, is the same product, but with a different name: glutinous rice flour. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Mochi is a pounded rice cake used in the Japanese New Year soup ozoni. Mochi rice is the kernel form of sweet rice.

In Hawai'i, mochiko is used in making desserts such as butter mochi or in the marinade/coating for mochiko chicken. Mochi flour also can be used in sauces to make creamed and scalloped dishes.

Japanese use mochiko in a wide variety of ways. It also is a key ingredient in the Filipino desserts cascaron, bibingka and biko, as well as a rice pudding called bud bud. Vietnamese, too, use rice flour for such dishes as ban xéo, crepes colored bright yellow with turmeric and wrapped around a filling of shrimp, pork and vegetables.

Desserts made with the flour are best made ahead of time to allow setting. You do not want to put baked mochi cakes in the refrigerator or freezer. But they will last unrefrigerated for several days. Plain pounded mochi cakes, however, can be frozen.

Mochiko sells for about $1.50 a pound in grocery stores. We found packaged Asian mochiko for 50 cents a pound in Chinatown.