On Chinese New Year, I made these lovely matcha mochi bars. They’re essentially the traditional Chinese rice cakes you can get in pretty much any Asian supermarket except these have a modern Japanese twist to it. First of all, these have a beautiful outer crust. Contained inside are red bean paste and mochi. Second, they’re matcha-flavoured which makes it a great take from the original flavored rice cake. And third, they’re home-made with looove. Cheesy, I know. But it’s quite true especially when you’re talking about the Lunar New Year.
Yield: 9″x 13″ pan
Ingredients
- 1 pack (400g) glutinous rice flour
- 1 tbsp matcha + 1 tsp for the layers
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 can (400 mL) coconut milk
- 350-400g sweetened red bean paste (coarse)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Grease a 9″x 13″ pan with a tablespoon of vegetable oil.
- Mix dry ingredients (flour, matcha, baking powder, sugar) in one large bowl.
- Mix eggs, oil, and coconut milk in a separate bowl.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix until well combined.
- Pour half of the mixture into greased pan. Spread evenly.
- Sift a teaspoon of matcha powder evenly on top of first layer.
- Spread red bean paste as the second layer. Make sure you use a spatula to get an even spread.
- Finally, pour the remaining batter on top of the red bean paste. Use a spatula to spread evenly over the pan.
- Bake for 1 hour until crust is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (a little mochi stuck on there is great!)
Adapted from a traditional rice cake recipe passed-down from a friend’s mom