Steamed Mochi Maamoul with Date and Walnut Filling
Soft, chewy steamed mochi dough scented with orange blossom water wraps a spiced date and toasted walnut filling, a Japanese-Middle Eastern twist on classic maamoul that needs no baking.
- Prep
- 49 min
- Cook
- 26 min
- Wait
- 35 min
- Total
- 1 hr 50 min
- Makes
- 12 filled mochi maamoul (about 2 inches / 5 cm each)
Steps
Before you start
- Use glutinous (sweet) rice flour such as Mochiko or Shirako. Regular rice flour will not give a chewy mochi texture.
- Weigh the flour, water and dough portions on a kitchen scale; mochi dough is sticky and volume measures are less reliable.
- Set up your steamer and bring the water to a boil just before you need it (step 4). Pick a shallow heatproof dish that fits inside it.
- Have the starch ready in a small bowl for dusting. Mochi dough sticks to everything without it.
- If you have a maamoul mold, dust it lightly with starch. If not, shape by hand as described.
Toast the walnuts
- Place the chopped walnuts in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat.
- Stir often for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Tip them into a bowl and let them cool for 5 minutes.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Walnuts smell nutty and look slightly darker and golden at the edges
Tip: Walnuts burn quickly once fragrant. Remove them from the pan right away.
Make the date filling
- Add the dates, filling butter, cinnamon, 1 tsp orange blossom water and salt to the cooled walnuts.
- Mash with a fork, or pulse in a food processor 8 to 10 times, until a thick, sticky paste forms with small walnut pieces still visible.
- Weigh the filling (about 285 g) and divide into 12 portions of about 23 g each.
- Roll each into a smooth ball, place on a plate and refrigerate 15 minutes.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Paste holds together when squeezed and rolls into smooth balls
Tip: If the dates are dry, soak them in hot water for 5 minutes, then drain and pat dry before mashing.
Whisk the mochi batter
- In a medium bowl, whisk the glutinous rice flour and sugar together.
- Pour in the water and 1 tbsp orange blossom water and whisk for 1 to 2 minutes until completely smooth with no dry lumps.
- Pour into the shallow heatproof dish.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Batter is smooth, milky and pourable, like thin pancake batter
Tip: Whisk from the bottom of the bowl, because flour settles and forms clumps there.
Steam the dough
- Bring 2 inches (5 cm) of water to a rolling boil in the steamer.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil, set it on the rack, cover the pot and steam over high heat for 10 minutes.
- Carefully lift the foil away from you, stir the batter with a wet silicone spatula (the edges will have set), re-cover and steam 10 minutes more, 20 minutes in total.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Dough is translucent, glossy and thick with no white or chalky spots, and a pinch stretches and sticks together
Tip: Wrap the pot lid in a clean towel to stop condensation dripping onto the dough.
Beat in butter and cool
- Remove the dish and pour the melted butter over the hot dough.
- Using a wet silicone spatula, fold and beat for about 2 minutes until the butter is absorbed and the dough is smooth and shiny.
- Let it cool for 15 minutes, until warm to the touch but not hot.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Dough is smooth, glossy and no butter pools on the surface
Tip: Don't let it cool completely. Cold mochi dough becomes stiff and hard to shape.
Divide the dough
- Generously dust a clean work surface and your hands with starch.
- Scrape the warm dough onto the surface, dust the top and pat into a thick log.
- Weigh the dough (about 440 g) and cut into 12 pieces of about 36 g each.
- Cover the pieces loosely with a damp towel.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Twelve evenly sized pieces that are soft but no longer stick to your fingers
Tip: If the dough sticks to your hands, add more starch rather than pulling it.
Fill the dough
- Take one dough piece and flatten it on your palm into a 3-inch (8 cm) round, slightly thinner at the edges.
- Place one filling ball in the center.
- Bring the edges up around the filling, pinch the seam firmly shut, and roll gently between your palms into a smooth ball.
- Repeat with the rest.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Each ball is fully sealed with no filling showing and no cracks
Tip: Keep the dough pieces you aren't using covered, since they dry and crack quickly.
Mold and serve
- For a maamoul pattern, dust the mold well with starch, press a ball in, flatten the base, and knock the mold firmly on the counter to release.
- Without a mold, flatten each ball slightly into a dome and press the tines of a fork across the top to make a pattern.
- Brush off excess starch with a dry pastry brush or your fingers and place each piece in a paper cup.
- Serve at room temperature.
+ Show details− Hide details
Ready when: Pieces hold a crisp pattern and feel soft and springy
Tip: Dust the mold between every few pieces. A sticky mold will tear the dough.
Good to know
Tips
- Steam covered tightly. Uncovered batter forms a dry skin that leaves hard bits in the dough.
- Work with warm dough. If it cools and stiffens, microwave it for 10 seconds under a damp towel to soften it.
- Chilled filling balls are much easier to wrap than soft ones.
- Use a scale for the portions so all 12 pieces have the same filling-to-dough ratio.
Make ahead
"The date filling can be made and rolled into balls up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. Bring to room temperature for 20 minutes before wrapping. The finished mochi is best eaten the day it is made."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: 1 day in an airtight container, with starch brushed off and pieces separated by parchment. Fridge: not recommended, as mochi hardens when cold. Freezer: up to 1 month, wrapped individually and sealed in a freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, or microwave a thawed piece for 10 seconds to soften."
Substitutions
- walnut halves → pistachios or pecans. Pistachios are traditional in maamoul. Toast them the same way, though they need only about 3 minutes.
- orange blossom water → rose water. Use the same amount for a floral flavor, but check the brand's strength and use less if it's very concentrated.
- cornstarch or potato starch → toasted glutinous rice flour. Toast it in a dry skillet over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes until it smells nutty, for a traditional katakuriko-free dusting.
- unsalted butter → ghee or neutral oil. Ghee gives a more traditional maamoul flavor. Oil makes the dough vegan, as long as the filling butter is also swapped.