These ube coconut mochi are sweet & nutty and easy to make– requiring just 4 ingredients. They are also vegan and gluten free. So, more fun for everyone!
Ube halya is one of those things that I can eat out of the jar with a spoon. I have been making my own at home by buying the ube powder and combining it with evaporated and condensed milk (recipe at the bottom). It is such a versatile ingredient and goes well in most bakes. I have stuffed them in steamed and baked buns, spiraled them in bread, cookie-fied them, dropped them in brownies, and now, made them into mochi!
Have you tried them? Let me know what you think! Share and tag me on instagram @craving_nomz!
The Process
Make the ube halaya paste: Mix together ube powder, evaporated milk, condensed milk and sugar in a sauce pan and cook on medium high heat until a thick paste forms. Add in butter at the end. Cover and let cool before using.
Prep your baking dish: Generously grease a 2-3 cup baking dish with oil or line with parchment paper (I prefer the parchment paper method).
Make the mochi batter:
Mix together the ingredients for the coconut layer and set aside.
Mix together the ingredients for the ube layer and pour it into your prepared baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake or steam (see “cook the mochi” section below) until the top of the ube layer has just set ~15 minutes.
Pour the coconut layer on top and continue to bake or steam for 30 minutes or until the mochi has completely set.
Cook the mochi
You can either bake or steam the mochi. I prefer baking the mochi since it gives the mochi a more solid structure.
Bake: Oil a piece of aluminum foil and use it to cover the baking dish. Gently tap the baking dish with mochi onto your counter to remove some air bubbles. Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes. The finished bars should look semi transparent and a bit glossy.
Steam: Alternatively you can steam your bars. Place the baking dish in a steamer, cover and bring the water to boil on high heat. Lower the temperature to medium heat and let steam for 45 minutes.
Cooling, serving & storing
It is important to cool the mochi completely before cutting or it will be too hard and sticky. Let it cool for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
When ready to slice, grease a knife or wet with water. Re-grease the knife or run the knife under water in between slicing to prevent sticking. If the mochi bars is still not very structurally stable or sticky, let it air dry for another hour or toss it in corn starch. Store at room temperature for up to two days or in the fridge for longer. It will get harder after a day– simply steam, microwave, or re-bake to soften.
Tips & Recommendations
- Line your baking dish with parchment paper or very generously oil your baking pan to prevent the mochi from sticking. I prefer using parchment, but when I do use the greasing method, I would grease the pan with coconut oil and pop it in the freezer for 5 minutes so the coconut oil will solidify before using.
- This is a small batch recipe– it fits well in a 2 cup narrow baking dish. I use this from Snapware. Double the recipe if you are using more than a 3 cup baking dish or using a square baking dish.
- Bake the mochi covered. This prevent the top from drying out and cracking.
- Sufficiently cool the mochi before handling. I recommend to cool the mochi at least 4 hours. Ideally, let it rest overnight!
- Oil knife or run it under water before cutting. You will have to re-oil/wet the knife. If the mochi sticks to the knife, clean the knife well, and continue to cut.
- Try pan frying the mochi as well! It gives it a nice toasty flavor and an addicting crunch! One of my favorite ways to eat rice cakes!
Looking for more mochi recipes? Check these post out!
4 Ingredient Ube Coconut Mochi
Equipment
- 2 or 3 cup narrow baking dish*
- Parchment Paper
- Aluminum Foil
Ingredients
Ube layer
- 40 g coconut milk
- 40 g glutinous rice flour
- 60 g ube halaya (ube paste) store brought or make your own. see recipe for ube halaya below
Coconut layer
- 40 g coconut milk
- 30 g glutinous rice flour
- 25 g sugar
Instructions
Make the mochi
- Mix together the ingredients for the coconut layer and set aside. Mix together the ingredients for the ube layer and pour it into a parchment lined baking dish.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake or steam (see "Cooking the mochi" section below) until the top of the ube layer has just set ~15 minutes.
- Pour the coconut layer on top and continue to bake or steam for 30 minutes or until the mochi has completely set.
- Let the mochi cool completely– either overnight or for at least 4 hours before remove it from the container and cutting.
Cooking the mochi
- Steam: place the mochi in a steamer, cover and bring the water to boil on high heat. Lower the temperature to medium heat and let steam for 45 minutes.
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 350F. Cover the mochi with a greased aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.
Ube Halaya Paste
Equipment
- sauce pan or small skillet
Ingredients
- 50 g ube powder
- 150 g evaporated milk regular milk is ok
- 75 g condensed milk
- 25 g sugar
- 6 g butter or coconut oil
Instructions
- Mix together ube powder, evaporated milk, condensed milk and sugar in a sauce pan and cook on medium high heat until a thick paste forms.
- Turn off the heat and add in butter.
- Transfer to a bowl, cover and let cool before using.
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