Vegetable Mochi (Steamed Carrot Rice Cake)
野菜もち · Yasai Mochi
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Yasai mochi is a simple steamed snack from the preschool kitchen: carrot is blended into a paste and stirred into a rice-flour batter, steamed in a tray, then cut into little squares and dusted with nutty kinako. Because it is made with rice flour rather than pounded glutinous rice, it has a soft, tender bite instead of the stretchy chew of traditional mochi, which makes it much easier for small children to manage. The carrot gives it a cheerful orange color and a hint of sweetness, and the batter contains no egg, dairy or wheat, so it is an easy one to share with the whole class.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 30 gcarrot
- 18 grice flour
- 18 gsweetened soy milk (Japanese chosei tonyu)Japanese 'prepared' soy milk that is lightly sweetened and flavored to taste milder than plain soy milk. Substitute: Regular (original, lightly sweetened) soy milk from the supermarket.
- 3 gkinako (roasted soybean flour)A nutty, lightly sweet powder made from roasted ground soybeans, often dusted over mochi or rice. Substitute: No close substitute - look for kinako (sometimes sold as roasted soybean flour) at a Japanese or Asian grocery, or online.
Seasonings
- 5.3 gsugar
- 3 gvegetable oil
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- sweetened soy milk (Japanese chosei tonyu) (調製豆乳)
- Japanese 'prepared' soy milk that is lightly sweetened and flavored to taste milder than plain soy milk. Substitute: Regular (original, lightly sweetened) soy milk from the supermarket.
- kinako (roasted soybean flour) (きな粉)
- A nutty, lightly sweet powder made from roasted ground soybeans, often dusted over mochi or rice. Substitute: No close substitute - look for kinako (sometimes sold as roasted soybean flour) at a Japanese or Asian grocery, or online.
Directions
- 1
Briefly boil the carrot, then blend it to a paste in a food processor.
- 2
In a bowl, combine the rice flour, sugar, oil, soy milk and the carrot paste from step 1, and mix until smooth.
- 3
Pour the batter into a shallow tray lined with parchment paper and spread it to about 1 cm thick. Steam for about 15 minutes.
- 4
Once cool enough to handle, cut into 2.5 cm squares with a knife. Arrange on a plate and dust with kinako.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 147 kcal | 294 kcal | 147 kcal |
| Protein | 2.8 g | 5.7 g | 2.8 g |
| Fat | 4.5 g | 9 g | 4.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 24.6 g | 49.2 g | 24.6 g |
| Fiber | 1.8 g | 3.6 g | 1.8 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g |
| Calcium | 22.5 mg | 45 mg | 22.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.5 mg | 0.9 mg | 0.5 mg |
| Potassium | 187.5 mg | 375 mg | 187.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 147 kcal | 2.8 g | 4.5 g | 24.6 g | 1.8 g | 0 g | 22.5 mg | 0.5 mg | 187.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 294 kcal | 5.7 g | 9 g | 49.2 g | 3.6 g | 0 g | 45 mg | 0.9 mg | 375 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
