Chewy tofu mochi with just silken tofu and potato starch, microwaved in 3 minutes. Try it 4 ways, from kinako to isobe.
Table of Contents
About This Recipe
Tofu mochi is a mochi-style Japanese dish made with silken tofu and potato starch instead of mochi rice. Simply mix the two and microwave for about 3 minutes for a soft, chewy dough, with no special equipment required.
In Japan, mochi is made by steaming glutinous mochi rice and pounding it while hot into a sticky dough. Outside Japan, many people picture small, sweet bites filled with ice cream or sweet red bean paste, but Japanese mochi is also enjoyed plain: grilled and dipped in soy sauce, wrapped in nori, coated in kinako, or added to soups. Mochi has long been part of everyday Japanese food culture and is essential at New Year, when families enjoy ozoni (mochi soup) and grilled mochi. Its shape and the ways it is eaten vary by region and household.
Making mochi from scratch takes time and effort, so even in Japan most people buy it ready-made. Outside Japan, it can be pricey or hard to find. Tofu mochi offers an easy way to enjoy that chewy texture with affordable, everyday ingredients. Because it is made with tofu, it is lower in calories and carbs than regular mochi and has a lighter texture all its own.
Here we share four ways to enjoy it: isobe tofu mochi with soy sauce and nori, black sesame tofu mochi with its toasty aroma, kinako tofu mochi with kuromitsu or other syrups, and edamame tofu mochi with cheese, pan-fried until golden. Once you know the basic dough, you can take it from sweet to savory depending on what you pair it with.
Basic Tofu Mochi Dough
Ingredients (Makes 1 batch, serves 1–2)
-
Silken tofu 5.3 oz / 150 g
(no need to drain) - Potato starch (katakuriko) 5 tbsp / 1.6 oz / 45 g
Instructions
| 1 | Put the silken tofu and potato starch in a microwave-safe bowl and mix well until smooth. |
| 2 | Microwave uncovered at 600W for 1 minute 30 seconds. Take it out and mix well. Tip The cooking times are based on a 600W microwave. Adjust the time to suit your microwave. |
| 3 | Microwave for another 1 minute 30 seconds, then mix well until the dough becomes sticky. |
Isobe Tofu Mochi
Ingredients (Serves 1–2)
- Basic tofu mochi dough 1 batch
- Soy sauce 1 tbsp
-
Cane sugar ½ tbsp, optional
(adjust to taste) - Nori as needed
Instructions
| 1 | Wet your hands and tear the basic dough into bite-sized pieces. |
| 2 | Coat the pieces in soy sauce, then wrap each one in nori. Tip For a sweet-savory glaze, mix the cane sugar into the soy sauce before coating. |
Black Sesame Tofu Mochi
Ingredients (Serves 1–2)
- Basic tofu mochi dough 1 batch
- Ground black sesame 2 ½ tbsp / 0.5 oz / 15 g
- Cane sugar 1 ¼ tsp / 5 g
- Salt A pinch
Instructions
| 1 | Mix the ground black sesame, cane sugar, and salt. |
| 2 | Wet your hands, tear the basic dough into bite-sized pieces, and coat them in the sesame mixture. |
Kinako Tofu Mochi
Ingredients (Serves 1–2)
- Basic tofu mochi dough 1 batch
- Kinako (roasted soybean flour) 2 ½ tbsp / 0.5 oz / 15 g
- Salt A pinch, optional
- Sugar, kuromitsu (Japanese brown sugar syrup), honey, or maple syrup to taste
Instructions
| 1 | Wet your hands and tear the basic dough into bite-sized pieces. |
| 2 | Coat the pieces in kinako, mixed with a pinch of salt if you like. |
| 3 | Finish with sugar, kuromitsu, honey, or maple syrup to taste. |
Edamame Tofu Mochi
Ingredients (Serves 1–2)
- Basic tofu mochi dough 1 batch
- Edamame (shelled) 1.4 oz / 40 g
- Shredded cheese 1.1 oz / 30 g
-
Salt ½ tsp / 2.5 g
→ Adjust to the saltiness of the edamame and cheese. - Neutral oil as needed
Instructions
| 1 | Prepare the basic dough through the second round of microwaving (step 3). Add the edamame, cheese, and salt, and mix well. |
| 2 | Lightly oil a frying pan. Wet your hands, tear the dough into bite-sized pieces, and place them in the pan. |
| 3 | Cook both sides until golden brown. |
