Brown Rice Moffle Variations
Moffles (mochi waffles) are a crispy and chewy treat made with soaked brown rice for maximum nutrition absorption. And these variations take them to a whole new level of the-perfect-salty-crunchy-afternoon-snack.
Just a few days ago, I showed you how to make basic moffles. And they are such a great blank slate for almost any application you can think of. And I’m a believer in plain and simple. I am that boring person that goes to an ice cream shop and gets vanilla or a tart frozen yogurt shop and gets plain frozen yogurt with all of the fruit toppings I can find. I feel like it’s a true test of a cook to know how to do simple right. Then I can trust that other flavors are done right, too.
Having said that, variation is important. And these are still simple to make but a nice change from “plain”. First of all, black sesame.
It used to be that you could only ever find black sesame seeds at Asian Markets or specialty stores, but I’m starting to see them in the Asian food section of grocery stores. I prefer to buy raw and organic where possible, and most at the store come roasted. If you’re purchasing roasted sesame seeds, there’s no point in soaking because you won’t be able to remove any more phytic acid once they’ve been treated with heat (though roasting helps to remove some), so you can skip the soaking step. But I really recommend sourcing raw seeds so you can soak and roast them yourself. Not only is it better for you, it tastes a whole lot better, too. I like to get these on amazon, and they have varying sizes.
Ok, but can we talk about black sesame seeds for a second? They have such a powerfully nutty, rich flavor and aroma (especially when roasted), and are remarkably nutritious, too. And according to livestrong.com:
Black sesame seeds are an excellent source of magnesium and calcium. A 1/4 cup serving of provides 126 mg of magnesium, or 32 percent of the Recommended Daily Value (DV), and 351 mg of calcium (35 percent of the DV). That’s slightly more than you find in a cup of milk, however, the calcium is located in the hull of the seeds, so hulled versions offer much less calcium.
Magnesium and calcium are important essential minerals that help regulate blood pressure, reduce the likelihood of developing tension and migraine headaches (triggered by blood vessel spasms), reduce the occurrence of airway spasms in asthmatics and regulate sleep patterns, especially in women suffering from menopause-induced sleep disturbances.
That’s just the beginning. They also have copper and zinc, which aid your body in reducing inflammation, is necessary for building collagen and elastin, and helps build healthy bone density. And there’s so much more! These guys are a little nutritious powerehouses, and what better way to enjoy them than to add them to a snack?
- 2-1/4 cups (or 3 rice cooker cups) sweet brown rice, preferably organic
- 3 cups very warm water, preferably purified and dechlorinated* (for soaking)
- 1/3 cup acidic medium such as raw apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice, or fermenting liquid
- 2-1/4 cup water, preferably purified and dechlorinated* (for cooking)
- 1/4~1/3 cup black sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup warm water, preferably purified and dechlorinated (for soaking the sesame seeds)*
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, separated
- cornstarch for dusting your surface (preferably organic and/or non-GMO)
- Soaking
- In a clean large glass or ceramic bowl, combine the rice, 4 cups warm water, and acid or fermenting liquid. Cover, and let sit overnight or up to 24 hours.
- Meanwhile, soak the sesame seeds for 4 hours in the water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, drain, and rinse thoroughly. (You can soak for up to 12 hours, but the black color will reduce significantly)
- Once soaking is done, wash thoroughly to prepare for cooking.
- Cooking
- After rinsing the soaked rice thoroughly, shake excess water off and use one of the following methods, either with a rice cooker or on the stove top.
- Rice cooker method
- Add the rice to the bowl of the rice cooker and fill water to the 3 cup marking. It should amount to about 2-1/4 cups of water, which is significantly less than you would use to cook unsoaked grains due to the water absorbed during soaking. Turn on and cook according to regular brown rice setting on your rice cooker. (I've even used the regular white rice setting in my older model with no problems)
- Stovetop method
- In a large pot, combine soaked rice and water. Bring to a boil, then drop down to a simmer and cover with a tight fitting lid. Let cook with lid on until the water is absorbed and rice is fluffy, no longer opaque, and has a tender center, about 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Place the soaked and drained seeds in the dry skillet and cook, stirring constantly until they are dry and begin to pop. Once they are fragrant, immediately remove them from the heat and transfer to a cool bowl to stop the cooking.
- Making the mochi
- While the rice is still very hot, place all of the rice and sesame seeds into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment in place. Turn on the stand mixer to medium-low speed, add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and let mix until the rice grains break down and get very sticky, with an almost gluey appearance, 8~12 minutes. Because you're using brown rice, it will never get perfectly smooth.
- Turn on a waffle iron to the hottest/darkest setting. While the waffle iron heats up, scrape the mochi onto a cutting board lightly dusted with cornstarch. Using wet hands, take about a 1/4~1/3 cup portion and roll it into a rough ball. Place it in the middle of the waffle iron and let it cook like a normal waffle. Once the timer has gone off, take out the moffle and serve immediately. Repeat with remaining mochi.
- *to dechlorinate and purify water, simply boil for 20 minutes and let cool to room temperature.
Gah! The browned bits and the bubbly bits! I can’t handle it. The trick with this one is to use very wet hands. the mochi will adhere to your hands like the worst glue if you don’t. Wet hands and work quickly. That’s all you need to know to make the amazingness that you see above.
- 2-1/4 cups (or 3 rice cooker cups) sweet brown rice, preferably organic
- 3 cups very warm water, preferably purified and dechlorinated* (for soaking)
- 1/3 cup acidic medium such as raw apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice, or fermenting liquid
- 2-1/4 cup water, preferably purified and dechlorinated* (for cooking)
- 2 oz grated extra sharp cheddar**
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (optional)
- cornstarch for dusting your surface (preferably organic and/or non-GMO)
- Soaking
- In a clean large glass or ceramic bowl, combine the rice, 4 cups warm water, and acid or fermenting liquid. Cover, and let sit overnight or up to 24 hours.
- Once soaking is done, wash thoroughly to prepare for cooking.
- Cooking
- After rinsing the soaked rice thoroughly, shake excess water off and use one of the following methods, either with a rice cooker or on the stove top.
- Rice cooker method
- Add the rice to the bowl of the rice cooker and fill water to the 3 cup marking. It should amount to about 2-1/4 cups of water, which is significantly less than you would use to cook unsoaked grains due to the water absorbed during soaking. Turn on and cook according to regular brown rice setting on your rice cooker. (I've even used the regular white rice setting in my older model with no problems)
- Stovetop method
- In a large pot, combine soaked rice and water. Bring to a boil, then drop down to a simmer and cover with a tight fitting lid. Let cook with lid on until the water is absorbed and rice is fluffy, no longer opaque, and has a tender center, about 40 minutes.
- Making the mochi
- While the rice is still very hot, place all of the rice into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment in place. Turn on the stand mixer to medium-low speed, add salt (if using), and let mix until the rice grains break down and get very sticky, with an almost gluey appearance, 8~12 minutes. Because you're using brown rice, it will never get perfectly smooth.
- Turn on a waffle iron to the hottest/darkest setting. While the waffle iron heats up, scrape the mochi onto a cutting board lightly dusted with cornstarch. Using very wet hands, take about a 1/4~1/3 cup portion and shape it into a disc. Place about a tablespoon of the grated cheese into the middle, fold the rice around it and pinch the seam shut. It's ok if it's not sealed perfectly, the cheese will burst out anyway. Try to gently shape it into a rough ball shape. Place it in the middle of the waffle iron and let it cook like a normal waffle. Once the timer has gone off, take out the moffle and serve immediately. Repeat with remaining mochi.
- *to dechlorinate and purify water, simply boil for 20 minutes and let cool to room temperature.
- **You could also use any melty cheese such as Gruyere, Gouda, or Havarti.
Comments
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Maikki | Maikin mokomin
January 12, 2016
That black sesame variation souds awesome! đ
Lillian
January 12, 2016
Thanks! It was really yummy. You should give it a try and let me know what you think:) Thanks for stopping by!