Pumpkin mochi with split mung beans paste filling By Lucy Leonardi
Ingredients:
- Mochi:
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- 1&1/2 cup glutinous rice flour
- 1/3 cup of sugar
- 2 tbs cooking oil
- Corn starch for rolling out dough
- Split mung beans paste filling:
- 200gr split mung beans
- 2 tbs melted coconut oil
- 2 tbs honey
Method:
Firstly, make the split mung beans paste.Rinse and soak split mung beans for at least 4 hours. In a saucepan, boil soaked mung beans on medium heat for around half an hour or until very soft.
Drain cooked mung beans and place in a mixing bowl. Mix in the coconut oil and honey. Use the back of the spoon to mash the mung beans and mix everything evenly. No need to create a completely smooth paste but this is just my personal preference.
Mix all mochi ingredients (except corn starch) in a microwave safe bowl and microwave with lid on high for 2 minutes. Take it out and mix well again then microwave for a further 1 minute.
While still hot, keep stirring the dough vigorously to create more elasticity. Scatter some corn starch on a clean work surface and place warm dough on it. Try to work with the mochi dough quite quickly as it gets stiff as it gets colder.
Lightly coat with corn starch and use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into about ½ cm thickness. Add a small amount of corn starch as you roll it out to prevent stickiness. Quickly cut dough into equal portion of approximate 6x6cm squares and place a tablespoon of split mung bean paste in the centre and seal into a ball shape.
Once all done, push a pine nut into each mochi and dust with ground cinnamon to serve. Can be enjoyed immediately or place in a sealed container in room temperature for a maximum of 12 hours to retain freshness.
Garnish with pine nuts and ground cinnamon.
