Frankly, we were more than a little surprised by how easy it is to make warabi mochi (bracken starch dumplings), that wobbly Japanese summer treat coated in nutty kinako (soybean flour). We imagined it to be the domain of Japanese wagashi artisans, and not your average home cook. But once we got the correct ratio of starch to water to yield the extra jiggly texture we were looking for, the rest was a walk in the park. The hardest thing about this recipe was going to the supermarket to find the bracken starch integral to making this dessert. Pro tip: It’s available at Japanese supermarkets like Isetan Scotts and Meidi-Ya. So is the kinako, which can typically be found on the same shelf.

For the Japanese, warabi mochi is an essential part of summer. It is so named for the warabi or starch from the root of the bracken plant, which grows widely in Japan’s Nara prefecture. This geographical provenance explains the sheer number of warabi mochi speciality shops across Nara and in neighbouring Kyoto.

Warabi mochi is traditionally made with brown sugar, dusted with kinako and drizzled with brown (or black) sugar syrup called kuromitsu. But for our distinctly Singaporean version, we’ve swapped the brown sugar for gula melaka, because… why not? The smoky depth of good-quality gula melaka really imparts a lovely complexity to this irresistible treat.

This is best eaten freshly made and tossed in kinako. That said, a couple of hours in the fridge makes the barest of difference to their texture. They are still wobblier than some of warabi mochi we’ve tried at mid-range Japanese restaurants.

Serves 1-2 pax

Ingredients:

25g bracken starch

200ml water

30g gula melaka, finely chopped (or sub with fine brown sugar)

For dusting:

30g kinako flour (roasted soybean flour)

gula melaka syrup, for drizzling (optional)*

1. Prepare a large bowl of ice-cold water. Set aside.

2. Place the bracken starch, water and gula melaka in a medium saucepan.

3. Place saucepan over medium heat and bring the contents to a boil, stirring constantly.

4. Lower the heat and keep stirring for 3 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and uniformly cloudy.

5. Remove pan from the heat and using a dessert spoon, scoop spoonsful of the mixture into the bowl of cold water.

6. Remove the chunks of warabimochi from the water and place onto a wide, shallow plate. Refrigerate uncovered for about 10 minutes or up to an hour.

7. To serve, place kinako flour on a plate. Place the mochi on top and toss to coat. Drizzle with gula melaka syrup, if using.

*To make gula melaka syrup, chop 150g of gula melaka and place in a pan with 100ml of water. Bring to a slow boil over a medium heat on a stove and stir until the gula melaka completely dissolves. Allow it to simmer for another 5 to 8 minutes till slightly thick and syrupy. Replace gula melaka with brown sugar, if desired.

Alvin Teo

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