Easy Ube Mochi Recipe: Japanese Rice Cake with Ube Filling

Ube mochi is a chewy Japanese rice cake with a purple yam filling that's mildly sweet and nutty. Unlike Hawaiian butter mochi, Japanese ube mochi has a thin outer layer of glutinous rice that is softer and chewier. You can choose to make it entirely purple or keep the outside white.

Here's our favourite way to make this purple snack.

Jump to:

• What is ube mochi?
• Ingredients
• Ube Mochi Recipe
• Cooking Tips
• Using Ube Paste (Halaya) for Mochi
• Taste
• Calories

What is ube mochi?

Ube mochi is a fusion treat of the classic Japanese sweet snack made with glutinous rice flour. It's flavoured with eye-catching purple yam from the Philippines, similar to sweet potato. The bright violet colour of this root vegetable has intrigued people worldwide.

Ingredients

For our ube mochi recipe, you will need:

• Mochiko (sweet rice flour): Rather than steaming and pounding the sticky mochigome, buying mochiko flour is easier and less messy. If you can't find mochiko, you can use glutinous rice flour as a substitute.
• Sugar: Although some recipes don't include sugar, we add a small amount. Sugar helps to keep the paste smooth and pliable. In addition, sugar helps lengthen the mochi's shelf-life.
• Ube flavouring: There are various options for incorporating that deliciously sweet flavour. You can try a purple yam powder or a paste.

Using Powder Extract

Ube powder is concentrated and raw, full of vivid purple colour. It's a great option for making ube mochi if you're looking for convenience. You can use it to make the creamy filling and the flavoured rice dough. 

Using the powder is quick and easy. It saves you time and acts as a dye, turning the rice paste bright purple. Plus, it is effortless to buy online.

If you'd like to try our recipe using the flavouring powder, follow these simple steps:

1. For 1 cup of mochiko, add 1 tablespoon of ube powder. Combine in a bowl along with ¼ cup white sugar.
2. Slowly add 1 cup of water, stirring continuously. Once it is all incorporated, you will have your mochi paste. From there, continue to follow our recipe below.

Using Fresh Paste

Fresh ube paste is called halaya and is a sweet, creamy mixture of starchy root vegetables mixed with condensed milk or coconut milk. Be warned that halaya is so delicious you may eat it before wrapping it in the mochi.

Making halaya from scratch is more time-consuming than hydrating the powder. However, if you're looking for the delicious purple root vegetable flavour, look no further than the real thing.

Cooking Tips

Cooking these purple rice cakes are incredibly simple. A top tip is to use your microwave, which makes the process quick and easy. A thick halaya paste for the filling is ideal, so if you cook it from scratch, make sure it reduces until spreadable.

Using Ube Paste (Halaya) for Mochi

Follow our steps and ingredients to make your own paste at home. Our recipe makes 1.5 cups.

Ingredients

• 250 g purple yam(fresh or frozen)
• 25 g sugar
• 75 g evaporated milk
• 75 g condensed milk
• 15 g butter

Instructions

1. First, scrub the purple yam. Then, put the root vegetables whole in a saucepan covered in water and bring them to a boil. Cook for 30-40 minutes until tender. Skip step 1 if you’re using frozen root vegetables.
2. Drain the boiled root vegetable. Once slightly cooled, peel off the skins and mash the flesh in a bowl.
3. In a wok or high-sided frying pan, add the mashed root vegetable and all the other ingredients to a simmer over medium heat.
4. Stir continuously as the mixture thickens. If left unattended, the paste will burn. Cook for 25 minutes for a jam-like consistency or 40 minutes for a thick peanut butter texture. The paste will continue to thicken when chilled in the fridge.

Note:

Many places use purple yam extract powder with additional colouring which makes it look more purple. If you want the colour, use ube condensed milk or add additional food colouring.

Taste

The flavour of ube is similar to sweet potato, yet slightly less sugary with subtle creamy vanilla notes. Some compare the taste to taro, a popular Asian root vegetable. However, traditional cooks rarely use taro in sweet foods. The flavour is savoury and nuttier but is a favourite addition to bubble teas.

We have an article that goes into detail on ube vs taro. Many people often confuse these two root vegetables due to their close similarities.

However, the sweetness of the Filipino root vegetable is perfectly balanced in our ube mochi recipe. We softened the purple vegetable's sugary taste with that creamy, chewy rice casing.

Calories

One ube mochi cake contains 81 calories, so we won't judge you if you eat two. In addition, one cooked cup of this starchy vegetable contains only 140 calories, meaning it is healthy and delicious.

Other ube and mochi recipes

Originating from the Philippines, the locals use the root vegetable to flavour cakes and other desserts. Try making our ube milk tea recipe next.

Meanwhile, traditional Japanese mochi is chewy and indulgent. Popular fillings include red bean daifuku, matcha and vanilla. If you love the grainy bite, try making our ohagi recipe.

Taro, another root vegetable many compare purple yam to, is often used to make the sweet paste filling. This is similar to another Asian favourite snack, taro mochi.Like our recipe? Try making it at home and sharing a picture of your delicious purple sweet snack with us. Then, tag us on Instagram @honestfoodtalks.