- For dipping sauce- bring 1 ¾ cups water, sugar and soy sauce to a simmer in a medium pot.
- In a separate bowl mix together 1/2 cup water and katakuriko into a slurry. If it needs more liquid add in a ladle of the warm soy water mixture. Bring to a boil, then add the slurry of katakuriko to the liquid. Whisk as it sets and forms into a sticky glaze. Add additional water if needed to thin sauce. Keep warm. (Glaze may be covered and chilled until ready to use.)
- In a medium bowl, knead together the shiratamako flour with sugar and drained soft tofu by hand. Make sure small clumps of the flour are dissolved and mixture forms a homogeneous ball. Divide the mochi dough into about 13g balls and shape them into circles by rolling between the palms of your hands. Cover the mochi loosely with plastic so it does not dry out.
- Prepare a pot of boiling water and a bowl of water with ice.
- Drop the mochi into boiling water until they cook for about 5 minutes on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally so they don’t stick to each other. The mochi should float to the top and look a little swollen. You can test one by cutting it in half to make sure there are no dry spots in the center. Once mochi is fully cooked, place them into the ice bath and let cool. Skewer 3 mochi onto each skewer.
- Lightly oil a grill pan and set over medium-high heat. Cook the mochi skewers for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. If they need more char, you can grill the skewers with a blow torch to get the char you prefer. Dip the mochi skewers fully into the warm sweet soy glaze and then plate. Drizzle more sweet soy glaze over each mochi skewer to ensure full coverage. Best enjoyed the day of preparing, but mochi can be kept wrapped at room temperature until next day.
Recipe courtesy of Pastry Chef Gemma Matsuyama of Tsubaki/Ototo.
