Grilled Mochi: The Amazing Story of Yaki Mochi!

Yaki mochi is an iconic grilled mochi (Japanese rice cake), and the flavor combinations for eating this snack are endless! This is your ultimate guide to yaki mochi from shoyu (soy sauce) sugar, kinako (soybean flour), and butter shoyu. 

You’ll love the crispy texture and delightful flavor that yaki mochi offers. Keep reading to learn about how to make yaki mochi at home and different ways to enjoy it!

What is yaki mochi?

Yaki mochi means “grilled mochi,” and it’s exactly what it sounds like. Mochi is grilled, fried, or toasted until it puffs up and lightly browns on the outside. It leaves you with a crispy skin and a chewy interior. Think of it like the toasted marshmallow of mochi, except minus all the sugar. 

Yaki mochi can be eaten savory or sweet, depending on how you season it after. It can be eaten on its own as a snack or as part of another dish. It can even be eaten for breakfast, the best way to start the day.

What can I put on top of my grilled mochi?

This is the fun part: after grilling your mochi, you top it with different seasonings! If you’re a fan of mochi, you’ll love these different ways to enjoy yaki mochi.

Soy Sauce and Sugar and Seaweed

This type of yaki mochi is called isobeyaki (grilled yaki mochi with soy sauce and wrapped with seaweed). Dipping yaki mochi in a sweet soy sauce blend is a quick and easy way to enjoy the yaki mochi. The combination of savory soy sauce, seaweed, and sweet sugar complements the chewy texture of the mochi rice cake.

You can adjust the sweetness and saltiness of the sauce blend to your liking. Mix roughly equal parts soy sauce and sugar. For one yakimochi, you only need a teaspoon of each. Pour over grilled mochi and wrap mochi in seaweed. 

Kinako and Sugar

Kinako (roasted soybean powder) has a nutty hint and tastes like roasted peanuts. Mix equal parts of kinako and sugar and roll your grilled mochi. Some people like to dunk their mochi in water before dipping it into kinako. The perfect Japanese dessert is the chewy and crispy yaki mochi, the nutty kinako, and a hint of sweetness!

Condensed Milk and Oreo

Condensed milk has been a famous yaki mochi topping recently for a reason. Drizzle a little condensed milk and top with crushed Oreos for a match made in heaven. Use one Oreo for one yakimochi. So good and so fun!

Butter and Soy Sauce

Butter shoyu is a popular flavor in Japan. Mix some butter with soy sauce, and pour or dip your mochi. This also goes well wrapped in seaweed.

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What other ways can I enjoy grilled mochi?

You can also use yaki mochi as a component of other dishes, like soups or grilled skewers. Here are the best mochi foods to satisfy your rice cake cravings!

Zenzai

Zenzai (Japanese red bean soup) is a dessert soup that will keep you nice and warm! This dish is cozy, comforting, and perfect for a celebration or sweet treat. The easiest way to make zenzai is to mix equal parts store-bought smooth red bean paste and water. Heat up, then top with a yaki mochi.

Chikara Udon

Yaki mochi is also a component in a dish called chikara udon. This simple udon noodle soup with toasted mochi hits the spot any time of the day! The chewy mochi is unbeatable, but you can easily customize the rest of the toppings. 

How do you make it? Make your usual bowl of udon and top it with yakimochi. Adding yaki mochi is equivalent to the fluffy whipped cream on your favorite cake! It’s the cherry on top of the cake.

Yaki Mochi Skewers

Although mochi skewers take a little more effort than the other mochi dishes, they’re the most fun. Make sure to slice the mochi into smaller pieces and microwave to soften them before putting them on a skewer. When ready to grill, grill over medium heat, flipping regularly until toasty, puffy, and crisp.

When the mochi looks puffy and lightly golden, it’s time to brush with the sauces. Brush with the sauces, flipping as needed. When everything is glazed and shiny, turn the heat high to give it one last blast for extra crispiness. Top the mochis with seaweed, cheese, green onions, and toasted sesame seeds to taste. Enjoy hot!

How do I make yaki mochi?

These tender grilled Japanese rice cakes come together from scratch with the help of a stand mixer. Here are the basic instructions for yaki mochi, but feel free to put your spin on it. Have fun experimenting with yaki mochi!

Ingredients:

•  2 1/4 cups of mochigome (sweet glutinous rice)
• 2 1/4 cups of water
• Potato starch, as needed

Recipe:

• In the bowl of a rice cooker, combine rice and water. Cook the rice until the grains are cooked through for about 45 minutes.
• In a large pot, pour boiling water into the bowl of a stand mixer, then pour out the water. Immediately transfer the rice to the warmed stand mixer bowl. 
• Mix the rice on medium speed until a paste is smooth with minimal visible grains.
• Using a fine-mesh strainer, dust a baking sheet with potato starch and the top of the dough. 
• Press the dough to the edges of the pan, smoothing and leveling the dough until the surface is flat. Place dough in the freezer for about one hour. 
• Transfer the dough to a large cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut dough into rectangles. Arrange the mochi on a wire rack and let it dry at room temperature, flipping it once after 12 hours.
• Drizzle the yaki mochi with soy sauce and sugar and wrap it in seaweed. It just hits the spot! Or, if you want a crunchy and sweet treat, you can dust in kinako and sugar instead. Yaki mochi gets crispy on the outside but stays chewy on the inside.

Why should I try grilled mochi?

This grilled mochi is crispy and golden on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. The beauty of yaki mochi is that you can eat it any way you want. One of the most popular ways to enjoy yaki mochi is with sweetened soy sauce and wrapping it in seaweed.

It sounds kind of plain, but there’s something about the mix of crispy, chewy mochi sweet and savory soy sauce. The endless amounts of flavor combinations will satisfy all of your mochi cravings! Have you tried yaki mochi yet? What’s your favorite yaki mochi topping? Let us know in the comments below!