Fresh mango mochi is the perfect dessert that’s chewy and soft outside and sweet, tangy, and fruity inside. And while you can get this dessert from a store, you can also easily make it at home.
Keep on reading to learn all about this glutinous nibble. In addition, we also cover how to make the three main variants of this Asian dessert: mango cream mochi, mango mochi ice cream and an easy Hong Kong mango mochi recipe that uses fresh fruit!
Jump to:
What is mango mochi made of?
The mango mochi daifuku is made of a mango filling wrapped in a glutinous rice dough. For the fruit filling, too, you have various options such as the fresh fruit, its cream version or its frozen ice cream.
The dough is made of mochiko or glutinous rice flour, made from short-grained rice with a high starch content. Once cooked, mochiko turns sticky and gooey and has a uniquely soft and chewy texture.
And when you throw some sweet mangoes into the mix, the already-delicious desert becomes even more delectable and irresistible.
Mango mochi calories
A piece of this Japanese dessert is approximately 46 g in weight and will have around 130 calories. However, this can be lower if you're using fresh fruit.
Mango mochi dough ingredients
The ingredients to make an unflavoured mochi dough are:
- 1 cup glutinous rice flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- Cornstarch or sweet potato starch, for dusting
You can reduce sugar by replacing it with erythritol, a natural and safe sweetener.
Alternatively, you can make a flavoured dough.
To make a mango-flavoured rice cake dough, add the fruit juice to the mix and reduce the amount of water to maintain consistency. You will also need to reduce sugar because the juice will add enough sweetness to the dough. In addition, the natural colour of the fruit juice will also give a nice yellow colour to the dough.
This article will focus only on making unflavoured mochi dough with various fruit fillings.
Types of mango mochi filling
You can fill the gooey rice cake with a number of different fillings, both sweet and savoury. There are several filling options for Japanese daifuku treats, from cookie dough and matcha tea to ice cream and fresh fruits.
In this article, we will cover how to make mango mochi with three different types of fillings: Hong Kong-style (fresh fruit), cream, and ice cream. The following sections detail the ingredients required for each of these recipes.
Hong Kong mango mochi filling
For this Hong-Kong style recipe, the ingredient needed to make the filling is just a fresh, ripe mango. The filling is easy to make as you only need to chop up the fruit. Make sure it is ripe and sweet. If it isn’t, let the fruit sit at room temperature for 1-2 days.
Here’s how you can make Hong Kong mango mochi recipe:
- Cut the fruit into ½-1 inch square pieces. Alternatively, cut the fruit in half and scooped out the flesh to form small balls.
- Once the rice cake dough is ready, flatten it out, and place a couple of the fruit pieces in the middle.
- Pinch the ends together and reshape them into a circle.
- Sprinkle some water to make it slightly damp so that the shredded coconut will readily stick to the dampened dough.
- Refrigerate for 30 mins before serving.
Should you cut the fresh fruit into cubes or small balls?
You can choose to cut fresh mangoes into cubes or scoop them out to form small balls, but it is better to cut them in cubes. Cubes are less time-consuming, and there is less wastage. But if you opt to make small balls, you can puree the fruit left after making the fruit balls and use it to make flavoured dough.
Are coconut flakes optional in Hong Kong mango mochi?
Yes, coconut flakes are optional in this hong kong style dessert. However, it is highly recommended that you add coconut flakes as the combination of the sticky glutinous rice dough and mango with coconut is a heavenly dessert. The dry coconut flakes also even out the stickiness of the dough.
You can use any type of coconut flakes — shredded, desiccated, or flakes. Compared to large coconut flakes, shredded and desiccated coconut stick better to the sticky dough and are the preferred choice when coating it.
And while coconut flakes can be sweetened or unsweetened, both the rice dough and filling are sweet, so unsweetened coconut flakes would be better.
How thick should the mochi dough be for this type of filling?
A 5 mm thick base is more than enough for a Hong Kong mango mochi.
Mango cream mochi filling
To make the cream filling, here are the ingredients you need.
If you're using freeze-dried fruit:
- 300g or 1 cup whipping cream (minimum 36% milkfat)
- 30g freeze-dried mango ground into powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 15g sugar or according to your taste
If you're using fresh fruit:
- 1 ripe mango, chopped into small chunks
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ⅓ cups sugar or according to your taste
How to prepare the fruity cream filling
When using freeze-dried fruit:
- Add the whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract to a bowl. Whisk until you see stiff peaks.
- Add the fruit powder and gently fold it in until completely incorporated.
- Divide it into equal portions using a spoon or an ice cream scoop.
- Place the portions into a mould tray and freeze it.
- Let it harden for 2 hours.
When using fresh mango chunks:
- Cut the fruit into small chunks.
- Add heavy cream and sugar, and beat them together until medium peak.
Once the filling is prepared, you can assemble the mochi.
Cooking tips for fresh cream mango mochi
You can use either fresh or freeze-dried mango can be used to make the mango cream mochi filling. We don't think it makes a huge difference to the taste. You just have to tweak your preparation slightly.
To make this dairy free, you can replace whipping cream with coconut cream in equal amounts. Coconut cream can be cooked, whipped, and baked. Therefore it works as a perfect substitute.
Like the fresh fruit filling, a 5mm thick dough would be ideal as it can hold the frozen filling and fresh fruit chunks.
The cream and fruit are both sweet and would often suffice if you don’t want your daifuku to be too sweet. However, if you want a sweeter dough, you can add sugar and increase the amount to your liking.
The thickness of the cream will depend upon how long you whisk it. The longer you whisk, the thicker it will be.
Mango mochi ice cream filling
The main ingredients to make mango mochi ice cream are mango ice cream and glutinous rice flour.
Here’s an easy and quick mango mochi ice cream recipe:
- Use an ice cream scoop to shape the ice cream into balls.
- Place the balls in baking cups and place them in the freezer.
- Meanwhile, work on your glutinous rice dough.
- Remove the ice cream balls from the freezer just before use and work quickly to avoid melting the ice cream.
Can I use mango sorbet instead of ice cream?
Yes, you can use sorbet instead of ice cream for a mango sorbet mochi. The frozen dessert is easy to make and delicious, and you don’t need special equipment.
Any store-bought cream based ice cream will work for our recipe. It just needs to be properly frozen as it has to be wrapped into the rice dough.
How To Store
Storing fresh fruit filling mochi
Mochi made using fresh fruit tastes best when consumed on the same day. However, you can store also them in the refrigerator or the freezer. Store them in an air-tight container as this slows down the drying to some extent. They will last for about 1-2 weeks.
Storing cream filling
Mango cream mochi contains dairy products and must be refrigerated in an airtight container for storage. You can keep them in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
Storing ice cream filling
Keep the ice cream mochi in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If so, it can last for about 2 months.
Mango Mochi Recipe (Fruit, Cream or Ice Cream Filling)
Ingredients
- 1 cup glutinous rice flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- Corn starch
Mango mochi filling
Instructions
Mango Mochi Dough
- In a microwave-safe bowl, mix the rice flour with sugar and water to form a dough.
- Use plastic wrap to cover the bowl and microwave it for one minute. Remove, stir with a wet rubber spatula, and microwave again for a minute.
- Check the dough for transparency. If not transparent, microwave for another 30 seconds. Once translucent, remove the bowl from the microwave and let it cool to room temperature.
Assemble Mango Mochi
- Add some corn starch or sweet potato starch to your work surface and use a rolling pin to roll out the rice cake dough we just prepared. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut it into circles large enough for your filling.
- Shape these dough circles into a bowl and add a spoonful of your desired mango mochi filling. Then, pinch the edges of the mochi dough close and seal it properly to make sure the filling is completely covered and there is no gap.
Notes
- Here’s a more detailed process for the microwave mochi recipe.
- If you can’t find mochiko, you can use glutinous rice flour substitutes such as potato starch, corn starch, tapioca starch etc. But, remember, all these ingredients have different tastes and textures, which will impact the resulting dessert.
- You can also use milk instead of water to add more flavour to the treat.
Nutrition
Calories have been calculated using an online calculator. Nutritional information offered on Honest Food Talks is for general information purposes and are only rough estimations.
Mango mochi variations
From ice creams and fresh fruits to whipped cream and sorbets, you can stuff the rice cake with a variety of fillings. When it comes to this fruity rice cake treat, you can experiment with a number of variations for the filling.
Here are some popular variations:
- Mango mochi cake
- Passionfruit and mango mochi
- Mango butter mochi
- Mango cheesecake mochi
Mango mochi is a sweet and savoury Japanese treat that makes for a fantastic dessert that is incredibly versatile. Whatever filling you choose, this is one delightful dessert that will not disappoint.
Follow us on Instagram @honestfoodtalks to learn more amazing recipes to explore the culinary delights of Asian desserts!
Leave a Reply