Matcha butter mochi

Earlier this year for CNY (although it felt more like 5 years ago!), after a round of making tang yuan, my friend Melanie introduced me to a recipe for baked nian gao. I was skeptical at first—it didn't seem very authentically Chinese, it looked too easy (LOL) and I wasn't an extremely big fan of "plain" nian gao desserts anyway—but since Mel usually had a good taste for snack foods, I obliged and helped her make the recipe. Lo and behold, nian gao, when baked with a red bean filling, was actually very, very delicious!!

Fast forward a few months into SIP, I saw that a friend of a friend had started selling boxes of baked goods that included matcha butter mochi. It looked really good, but I didn't want to have to wait until the seller made their way to the South Bay in order for me to pick up a box. Wait a second, I thought. Maybe I could make it myself instead! And then another realization hit me. Isn't this just baked nian gao???

And the rest, they say, is history.

I've made this recipe 3 times already during quarantine, and it's been a big hit each time! I've learned some tips and tricks along the way—the most important of which is to either give away or freeze leftover mochi, because it gets mouldy really easily!! (our first batch had quite a few victims, and we were very very sad to have to throw them out :() You can let frozen pieces thaw in the refrigerator overnight, and then toast them the next morning to refresh them :)

Other tips:

• I've actually only ever used Chinese glutinous rice flour for this, and it works every time.
• I've successfully used whole milk instead of evaporated milk; I think the texture turns out a tiny bit softer? Maybe leave it in the oven a bit longer just in case.
• This can be a one-bowl recipe if you use a very big bowl and a strainer!
• You can increase the amount of matcha to 3 tbsp if you're using a cheaper brand (haha) or older matcha.
• Don't use a whisk lol, it makes it hard to mix after adding in the rice flour. To minimize dishes you can use just a fork for mixing, or a combination of a fork and a wooden spoon.
• Definitely wait until the mochi is cool before cutting. I usually leave it out overnight (without covering, so it doesn't get soggy).

I would highly, highly recommend this recipe to anyone who's looking for an easy baking project—the effort : reward ratio is very good (low effort : high reward)!

(original recipe from Cooking with a Wallflower)