Mochi Waffles - Vegan, Gluten Free...and Delicious!

This afternoon I was going through some photos on my camera, and came my first try at mochi waffles. I cannot believe I forgot to post about this. It is so, so good! I had read about this in Alicia Silverstone's, the Kind Diet, but was a bit skeptical. Mochi is really good, but I didn't see how it would make a good waffle.

What is mochi you ask? Well, it is a yummy Japanese creation that involves soaking and cooking rice and then pounding it into a block. When you cook it, it melts and puffs up, making odd shapes. I have been eating it for about a year now and tend to pan fry it with a bit of soy sauce and brown rice syrup. It is really easy.. the steps for the basic pan-fried mochi:

First, cut up a block of mochi into 1-2" square blocks while heating a frying pan to medium low heat with a bit of olive oil (about 1 Tbsp). Add the mochi and cover and let it cook for about 4 minutes. Flip the mochi and take a spoonful of soy sauce and pour over top (note, this is going to splatter, so beware nice clothing!). Cover again and cook another 4 minutes.

Check the mochi and it should be all puffed up and melty. If it isn't, then put it back on the heat for another minute or two. Once it is done, transfer to a plate and drizzle brown rice syrup. That's it! Breakfast, or a snack... this is yummy.

OK, back to the real recipe at hand.. Mochi Waffles. I have seen this in the Kind Diet. It is also on the back of the mochi package. Finally, I took my mochi and a few other ingredients for a sauce over to my sister's (I don't own a waffle iron... yet...) and convinced her to give this a try.

Mochi Waffles
*Adapted from the Kind Diet

•  One package of mochi
•  1/2 cup of Maple Syrup or Brown rice syrup
•  1 cup walnuts
•  Juice of 1/2 a lemon
•  1 Tbsp of lemon zest (optional)
•  Strawberries, chopped
•  Mint, chopped and/or for garnish

First, toast the walnuts in a dry skillet on medium heat and pre-heat the waffle iron. Once toasted, remove from the pan and chop. Next, slice the mochi into strips about 1/4" wide. I found that each waffle requires about 5-6 strips of mochi.Put the mochi on the waffle iron and cook until it puffs up and is a little crispy. The book said about 3 minutes, but I found it needed closer to five. Keep an eye on it.

While the waffles are cooking combine in a small pot the syrup, 3 Tbsp of water, lemon juice and the walnuts. stir over medium heat until warmed.

Put the waffles on a plate and top with the syrup, berries and mint and serve.

Now the book says to use the brown rice syrup, but I found that the sauce was too mild this way and ended up put maple syrup on top the first time. So, judge accordingly based on your sweet tooth.