Coconut mochi, or lo mai chi (糯米滋) is a traditional dessert from Fujian province in the southern part of China. It is quite similar to Japanese mochi but is usually coated with a layer of shredded coconut. It also has a more tender texture than the chewy Japanese mochi. The filling for Chinese coconut mochi is typically sweet red bean paste, mango, or sweet nuts. Coconut mochi is a popular dessert to serve after dinner. It’s also a great one to make for the Mid-Autumn Festival to replace mooncakes, as a part of the celebration. Today I want to share the version filled with red bean paste, which is one of my favorite ways to enjoy coconut mochi.
Coconut mochi ingredients
Glutinous rice flour
Mise en place
Believe it or not, coconut mochi only requires seven simple ingredients. As mentioned, the glutinous rice flour is essential for this recipe. You’ll also need cornstarch, white sugar, coconut oil (or butter), red bean paste, shredded coconut, and coconut milk (or any plant milk). I love to use my homemade red bean paste. But you can use store bought red bean paste as well.
How to make coconut mochi
Making coconut mochi is super fun! It does take a minute, but as long as you have the tools, it’s really easy to make.
Prepare the dough and the filling
Assemble the coconut mochi
That’s it! Now you can enjoy these sweet, gooey bites at any time of day!
Important tools
Plastic wrap and gloves It’s very important to handle the cooked dough wearing a pair of gloves, and to line your working table with plastic wrap. Either vinyl or plastic gloves will work. The mochi dough is extremely sticky and will stick to any surface that is not plastic. It’s quite hard to clean off, too. I highly recommend wearing a pair of gloves while handling the cooked dough. You will find that the dough is much easier to handle and shape, with no stick at all, when you use both plastic wrap and a pair of gloves.
Store and reheat
The coconut mochi hold up pretty well in the fridge and freezer. You can store them in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, and in the freezer for up to 3 months. For the frozen mochi, thaw them in the fridge overnight. For refrigerated mochi, heat them up gently in the microwave to bring them to room temperature or slightly warmer, so the texture will be tender again. I hope you enjoy these coconut mochi and happy cooking!
Other delicious sweets recipes
Snow Skin Mooncake with Custard Filling (冰皮月饼) Black Rice Pudding with Coconut Milk Mango Sticky Rice Chinese Pumpkin Cake (南瓜饼) Black Sesame Sweet Rice Balls (黑芝麻汤圆, Tang Yuan)
