This is just enough to milk the mochi!

Mochi are small Japanese rice cakes—or perhaps more accurately, rice chocolates. They come with or without fillings in a variety of flavors, shapes, and colors. Their characteristic feature is their slightly rubbery, yet soft consistency, which is unusual for dessert lovers socialized on macarons and apricot dumplings. It is precisely this special consistency that has made mochi very popular worldwide for several years.

Preparation is simple: mix the dough, then steam until the glutinous rice flour has thickened. Stir again and mix in a small amount of butter, which makes the dough soft and smooth. There are three tricks to ensure your mochi turn out truly fantastic: Perhaps the most important thing is to keep the dough soft. The softer the dough, the more difficult it is to fill the mochi. The sticky mass spreads all too easily, first on your favorite T-shirt and then all over the kitchen. So here is an unfilled version to start with – don't worry, rolled in aromatic breadcrumbs these very simple mochi taste very moist, slightly crunchy and beautifully aromatic. Second rule: If at all possible, do not refrigerate mochi. They keep wonderfully for a few hours, but in the refrigerator they become dry and weird.

To prevent mochi from sticking to the surface, you need to roll or dust them. Sesame, peanut, and banana powder are excellent for rolling. Japanese cooks sometimes use "kinako," roasted, powdered soybeans. Rice flour is also often recommended, but I don't like it because raw rice flour has an unpleasant starchy taste. The blueberries in this recipe provide a fresh, fruity counterpoint to the nutty mochi. You could also omit the berries, which would make the mochi more like a praline than a dessert.

1. Blend 350g blueberries, lemon juice, and gelling sugar with an immersion blender on high for 2 minutes. Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

2. Combine the rice flour, starch, sugar, and milk in a bowl. The bowl should be shallow enough to fit into a steamer basket. Bring a suitable pot or wok with a little water to a boil, place the steamer basket with the batter mixture on top, and steam for about 20 minutes (or steam in a steam oven).

3. Stir gently with a spoon – the batter should be completely set. If you still see water, steam for a few more minutes.

4. Grind the banana chips in a food processor and place them in a deep plate. Grind the peanuts, mix in the sugar, and transfer to a second plate. Grind the black sesame seeds in a food processor, mix in the sugar and a pinch of salt, and transfer to a third plate. Stir the remaining blueberries into the blueberry sauce.

5. Remove the bowl from the steamer and beat in the butter with a spoon. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with the largest nozzle and drop it directly into the toppings. Cut 2-3 cm pieces from each piece with scissors. Carefully roll the mochi in the toppings. Place them in small bowls or plates with blueberries and cream. It's best to eat them right away, or at least on the same day.

Technical tip: Various manufacturers offer gelling sugar for cold-stirred fruit spreads. The organic vegan version uses raw cane sugar and grated lemon zest, the conventional version uses refined sugar and citric acid—but above all, manufacturers work with varying amounts of sugar, ranging from 115 g to 185 g per 250 g of fruit weight. These fruit spreads are not as firm as cooked jams, but they taste very good and are also suitable as fruit sauces.

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