Mango Glutinous Rice Cakes (Mango Mochi)
These Mango Glutinous Rice Cakes (芒果糯米糍) are soft, chewy, and filled with sweet fresh mango. They look impressive but are surprisingly fun and approachable to make at home. Once you try them, you’ll understand why they have been so popular in Hong Kong.
A couple of weeks ago, my sister sent me an Instagram post about a shop nearby selling fresh mango glutinous rice cakes (aka mango mochi). Since that shop only sells them for a limited time, the lines were going to be long. So I told her I’d just try making them at home instead.
Mango glutinous rice cakes are a more recent popular dessert from Hong Kong, so I had never actually tried this version before. I’ve had similar ones with a small piece of fresh mango inside, but not this type that uses half a mango. After making pistachio glutinous rice balls last year, I felt confident enough to try this mango version. It was a success after a little adjustment. It’s not hard to make, and the result is a really fun and impressive dessert.
Here are a few things to make these rice cakes a success:
Mango:
Mango is the star here. I like Manila mangoes. They’re sweet and soft. Make sure to use really ripe ones. If they’re not ripe yet, keep them on the counter for a few days until they’re fragrant and slightly soft when pressed with a finger. Also make sure your mangoes are at room temperature before wrapping, so they don’t cool down the warm dough too quickly.
When scooping out the mango flesh, go slowly by starting at the edges first, then scoop along the bottom. You want to keep the mango half in one solid piece as much as possible. And don’t forget to pat the mango dry before wrapping. It makes it less slippery and much easier to work with.
Glutinous Rice Flour:
Glutinous rice flour is made from glutinous rice and is naturally sticky. It’s used two ways in this recipe. The first is as a coating flour, dusted on the outside of the finished rice cakes. Since there is no cooking involved in this step, the flour needs to be toasted in a skillet first for food safety.
The second use is for the dough itself. It’s combined with cornstarch, sugar, water, and oil, then steamed until cooked through. Once cooked, stir the dough vigorously for a few minutes to make it more elastic. Fair warning, it’s a very stiff dough, so be prepared to use some muscle. Keep the dough covered in plastic wrap so it doesn’t cool down too quickly or dry out.
Wrapping:
Before you start wrapping, set everything up so you have easy access to all your ingredients and tools. It will get a little messy, so being organized helps a lot.
One important thing to keep in mind, the dough is most flexible when it’s hot, so try to start wrapping as soon as it’s cool enough to handle. I went with 80 grams of dough per rice cake. I tried using less, but it was more fragile and prone to breaking. I also just prefer a little more dough to chew on.
Make sure to wear food safe plastic gloves while wrapping. They prevent the dough from sticking to your hands. I tried once without them and it was nearly impossible. Also, be careful not to let your gloves touch the coating flour, as it will prevent the dough from sticking properly when you wrap.
Serving:
You can serve these rice cakes two ways, either at room temperature or straight from the fridge. At room temperature, the dough is soft and chewy. My sister likes eating hers chilled. She says the cold mango is refreshing and the dough gets even chewier, which she prefers. It’s worth trying both ways to see which you like better!
I love these rice cakes. Sweet mango wrapped in soft, chewy rice cake, what’s not to love? It’s no wonder they’re becoming a must-try dessert in Hong Kong. My sister and brother-in-law really enjoyed them too. There’s something really special about recreating a piece of Hong Kong’s food culture right in my own kitchen. I hope you give these a try and see what all the fuss is about!
Mango Glutinous Rice Cakes (Mango Mochi 芒果糯米糍)
Ingredients
- 3 ripe Manila or Ataulfo mangoes, (at room temperature)
Coating Flour:
- 70 grams glutinous rice flour
Glutinous Rice Dough:
- 240 grams glutinous rice flour
- 36 grams cornstarch
- 90 grams sugar
- 340 grams water
- 30 grams vegetable oil
Instructions
- For the coating flour, in a medium nonstick pan over medium heat, without adding any oil, add 70 grams glutinous rice flour. Stir with a spatula constantly and toast until lightly golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large plate to cool completely.
- In a large pot or wok (with lid), put in the steaming rack and add water that reaches 1-inch below the top of the rack. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat.
- For the dough, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk together glutinous rice flour, cornstarch and sugar. Add vegetable oil and water. Whisk until smooth.
- For the mangoes, rinse under running water and pat dried. Cut the mangoes in 3 parts lengthwise. Remove the pit. Carefully scoop out the flesh in one piece with a large spoon. Pat dried with paper towels and set aside.
- Pick a medium bowl or deep plate that can be steamed and fit in the wok. Lightly wipe the inside of the bowl with vegetable oil. Transfer the batter into the bowl.
- Carefully place the bowl on top of the steaming rack. Cover the wok with a lid and steam for about 15 – 18 minutes. To see if the dough is cooked though, poke into the center with a chopstick or a fork. If you don’t see any white flour in the dough, it’s ready. If not, steam for a couple more minutes. Carefully remove the bowl and place on a pot holder. If you see water collected on top of the dough, pour that out.
- In a large bowl, wipe the inside with a thin layer of vegetable oil. Lightly coat a stiff spatula or wooden spoon with vegetable oil as well. Transfer the dough into the bowl. While the dough is still hot, stir and fold it for about 4 minutes. This stretches the dough and gives it a more elastic texture. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until just cool enough to handle. It should still be very warm.
- For the wrapping, set up the working surface. First, if you have a food scale, cover it with plastic wrap. Then place a 10×15-inch piece of plastic wrap on your working surface. Make sure it sticks to the table well. If needed, put a little water underneath. Next, set the coating flour nearby. Last, prepare a large plate for the finished rice cakes.
- Put on food safe plastic gloves. Take out about 80 grams of dough by measuring on the scale. It will be slightly bigger than a golf ball. Roll into a ball and place on the prepared plastic wrap on the table. Pat down slightly and stretch into an oval shape large enough to cover half a mango, focusing on patting down the edges thinner. Place half a mango with flat side facing up on the dough. Pull the center parts of both long sides of the dough to connect over the mango. Then wrap one end by pulling the dough up from the bottom. Once that side is wrapped, continue with the other side. By now, the mango should be fully covered with dough. It’s ok that the dough is not perfectly smooth because this side will be the bottom.
- Carefully transfer the rice cake to the coating flour. Keep your gloves free of flour, as the dough will not be sticky if it gets covered with flour. Use a large spoon to cover the rice cake with flour and leave it there for now. Continue with the remaining rice cakes. Once all the rice cakes are done, use your gloved hands to roll and coat each one thoroughly in the flour. Dust off any excess and place the finished rice cakes on the clean prepared plate.
- The rice cakes are ready to be served. If not serving right away, wrap with plastic wrap individually and store in an airtight container. If you like the rice cake with a softer texture, keep at room temperature. If you prefer a chewier and slightly firmer texture, keep in the fridge. Enjoy within 24 – 36 hours.
Notes
- I got my mangoes from H Mart. The brand is Freska. It’s very sweet. The brand Bunny is also really good too.
- Glutinous rice flour is not the same as rice flour. Glutinous rice flour creates a chewy dough, but rice flour dough doesn’t do that. I got mine from a Chinese supermarket.
- When wrapping the rice cakes, make sure to wear food safe plastic gloves. They prevent the dough from sticking to your fingers. If the dough is sticking, it’s almost impossible to work with.
- There will be a little leftover dough. You can use it to wrap another mango half, or just roll it into little balls and enjoy them as they are.
- Since there is fresh fruit involved, it’s best to enjoy these rice cakes within 36 hours. Also, the dough will loose it softness and start to dry out and get harder over time.
