Mochi is a beloved Japanese rice cake that is well-loved as a dessert or snack. Generally, mochi can come in a variety of flavors and colors, but one thing that stays consistent about mochi is that it contains mochiko, which may also be called mochiko flour or mochi flour.
If you want to make mochi but do not have any mochiko flour, you may be looking for some mochiko flour substitutes. I did the research, and here are some mochiko flour alternatives I found!
Mochiko Flour Substitutes
1. Shiratamako Flour
Shiratamako flour is a type of glutinous rice flour, often made from short-grain Japanese rice. Shiratamako flour usually offers a smooth, fluffy, soft yet chewy texture, which makes shiratamako flour a great replacement for mochiko flour.
Moreover, shiratamako flour is one of the best substitutes for mochiko flour because of what shiratamako is used for. Normally, shiratamako is used to create dango, which are sweet and sweet dumplings that have a similar consistency to mochi.
However, shiratamako flour can be a bit coarse compared to mochiko flour. Therefore, you may want to use a mortar and pestle to crust it more or add a little potato starch to your shiratamako flour.
2. Dango Flour
Similar to shiratamako flour, your next best bet for mochiko flour is dango flour. Since dango is a lot like mochi in terms of texture, appearance, and flavor, dango flour can easily replace mochiko flour in most recipes.
Dango flour is made from rice flour, which is normally made from a mixture of normal rice and glutinous rice. Generally, dango flour can create fairly chewy mochi, but occasionally dango flour may be better as a batter replacement for mochiko chicken.
3. Joshinko Flour
Joshinko flour is a decent alternative to mochiko flour to create mochi. However, Joshinko flour is not as good as dango flour or shiratamako flour as a replacement for mochiko flour.
Generally, Joshinko flour is created from regular rice, which will be non-glutinous. Since Joshinko flour is made from non-glutinous rice, the results from Joshinko flour will not be as chewy as dango, shiratamako, or mochiko flour.
However, Joshinko flour is still an alright substitute for mochiko flour because Joshinko flour can offer a similar flavor profile. Otherwise, it would be best to look for other alternatives since the main feature of mochi is how chewy mochi is.
4. Potato Starch
Potato starch is a starch extracted from potatoes, which creates a very starchy powder. Since potato starch becomes very sticky when mixed with liquid, potato starch can be a good replacement for mochiko flour.
However, it is important to note you may notice how starchy the potato starch feels and tastes. That is why it is better to use shiratamako flour or dango flour as a mochiko flour substitute.
5. Potato Starch With Rice
If you happen to have some leftover cooked rice, you can mix the leftover rice with potato starch. This mixture will create a starchy paste that can mimic mochi.
To create mochi from potato starch and rice, mix 2 tablespoons of potato starch with nine ounces of cooled and cooked white rice. While mixing, crush the rice the create a small dumpling.
If the mixture does not stick together, you can add a bit of water and mix it again. Next, you can microwave the dumplings in a bowl with water or boil the dumplings.
6. Sweet Rice Flour
A great replacement for mochiko flour is sweet rice flour. Sweet flour is created from sweet rice, which is a variant of sticky rice.
Generally, sweet rice flour is used as a thickening agent, but sweet rice flour’s thickening properties can make sweet rice flour great as a mochiko flour replacement.
If you want to use sweet rice flour, you need to know that sweet rice flour is not as starchy and is starchier than mochiko flour. Luckily, you can deal with this by adding more liquid to your mochi recipe.
7. White Rice Flour
White rice flour is rice flour created from white rice. Normally, white rice flour is used as a thickening agent or baking ingredient, but you can use white rice flour to make mochi.
However, white rice flour is usually non-glutinous while mochiko flour is glutinous. To make up for this, you will need to use ¼ less liquid in your recipe.
8. Glutinous Rice Flour
Glutinous rice flour can be a good substitute for mochiko flour because they are both glutinous flour. While you would normally use glutinous rice flour to thicken dishes, you can use glutinous rice flour as an alternative to mochiko flour.
However, you cannot use the same measurements. If your recipe needs one cup of mochiko flour, you need to use 1 and ¼ cups of glutinous rice flour.
Moreover, it would be wise to add a quarter of a teaspoon of baking powder if the recipe does not already call for baking powder.
Is It Okay To Replace Mochiko Flour?
It can be fine to replace mochiko flour, but it will highly depend on the type of flour you want to replace mochiko flour with. Generally, most recipes will urge you to look for mochiko flour to make mochi because that is what mochiko flour is specifically made for.
However, it is acceptable to use shiratamako flour and dango flour instead of mochiko flour. Most people will suggest these flours as good alternatives to mochiko flour.
Moreover, the other substitutes and mixtures mentioned above can replace mochiko. However, you cannot expect the same results by using them.
Take a look at our related articles to learn about maida flour substitutes, Manitoba flour substitutes, masa flour substitutes.
Conclusion
Since the name mochiko means that the flour is specifically meant to make mochi, mochiko flour will always be the best flour to create mochi. However, you can swap mochiko flour for some alternatives when you do not have mochiko flour available.
Generally, the best replacements for mochiko flour will be shiratamako flour and dango flour because they are used to create recipes similar to mochi. However, other types of sticky flour like sweet rice flour can work.