In the title I put mochi in quotes because this recipe is technically not mochi. Mochi is just pounded glutinous rice whereas gyuhi is mixed with sugar which makes it soft and last longer than mochi.
We had the pleasure of trying gyuhi this way in our recent trip to Japan and we enjoyed it so much I decided to see if making it at home would come close to our authentic experience. Turns out, it does! Gyuhi is very simple to make and tastes so good!
I highly recommend sourcing shiratama flour as it produces a gorgeous silky texture.
Ingredients
Gyuhi is made of 3 simple ingredients: water, sugar, and shiratama (or shiratamako) flour.
Specifically 2 parts water, 1 part sugar, 1 part shiratama. I recommend 100g sugar and shiratama and 200ml of water.
You will also need potato starch to shape the gyuhi
Shiratama is a glutinous rice flour that has been naturally processed in water before dried. It usually appears in small chunks that will dissolve in water very easily. It is created to be used in Japanese sweets (wagashi).
Mochiko is a more common glutinous rice flour that won’t yield the same texture as shiratama but can be used if you can’t find shiratama.
Process
Optional: blend shiratama flour into powder. You can mix it straight into the sugar and water but it takes more work to break down in my experience. If using powdered glutinous rice or Mochiko, you don’t need this step.
Mix sugar, shiratama flour, and water. Heat while continuously mixing.
Pour out mixture on a surface dusted with potato starch and shape
After cutting into squares, serve with red bean, white bean and fresh fruit for a fun way to assemble your dessert!
VIDEO: I had to at least try to make the gyuhi at home.
Recipe
Sweet Mochi Sheets (Gyuhi)
Ingredients
Method
- Optional: blend shiratama flour into powder. You can mix it straight into the sugar and water but it takes more work to break down in my experience. If using powdered glutinous rice or Mochiko, you don’t need this step.
- Mix sugar, shiratama flour, and water.
- Over low heat, mix with a wooden spoon or stiff spatula, continuously until mixture turns translucent. Remove from heat
- Flour your surface with potato starch. You can also use cornstarch, but potato starch is commonly used.
- Pour the mixture out onto the surface. grab the mixture from the floured bottom to stretch it out. Try not to get potato starch on top. Take care when handling as it will be hot.
- Fold it once over to encase the non-floured part. Continue stretching or use a rolling pin.
- Using a pastry brush, gently brush excess potato starch off the gyuhi. You can also do this after slicing.
- Shape using cookie cutters or a knife. I used cookie cutters for even squares but you’ll have scraps you can eat. You can use a knife if you don’t want scraps.