10-Minute Microwave Mochi Crackers From Scratch

This is, perhaps, the happiest accident to ever happen in my kitchen. Hankering for some Trader Joe's Mochi Rice Nuggets, I first proceeded to make mochi. Mochi is made exclusively of mochiko -- a variety of Japanese short-grain glutinous sweet rice, called mochigome, milled into a very fine flour. Conveniently, mochi can be made in the microwave. To make rice crackers like Trader Joe's, said mochi must be sliced into thin squares and then fully dehydrated before frying, which is how they puff up. So I thought: 1) I need to make the mochi thin to bypass the slicing; and 2) the microwave would also cut the long dehydration time.

However, the experiment stopped right there. What resulted was already a deliciously crisp mochi rice cracker that is fantastic as is. Plus, it avoids all the frying!

These 10-minute microwave mochi rice crackers have a sweet-savory flavor and a crunchy bite very much like arare crackers -- those ubiquitous "Asian Rice Crackers" shaped as small flowers, squares, and seaweed-wrapped sticks.

If you want fresh, homemade rice crackers on demand, you must try making some in a microwave. Your craving will be satisfied in minutes!

To make the mochi cracker batter, you will need:

1/4 cup Mochiko sweet rice flour (not to be confused with any other Asian glutinous rice flour of other rice varieties)

1/4 cup water

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp soy sauce

This yields approximately 2 dozen 1" crackers

Combine mochiko, water, oil, sugar, and soy sauce in a small bowl. Mix until fully blended into a smooth, thick batter.

Remove your microwave plate from the microwave and line with a circle of parchment paper of the same size.

Dollop 1-teaspoon mounds on the parchment-lined microwave plate, providing space in between each mound.

Cover the batter mounds with another circle of parchment paper. Very, very lightly press the parchment without flattening the mounds. You still want the batter to have some thickness (1/16").

Microwave for 5 minutes using 70% power. --> The power levels may vary by microwave type, so it's safe to start lower to avoid scorching the batter.

Remove plate from the microwave and discard the top parchment cover. There will be some dampness on the microwave plate due to steaming which you can wipe dry.

While the batter is in the microwave, combine 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp soy sauce in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved.

When ready, brush the tops of the rounds with the soy-sugar glaze. At this point, the mochi is still soft and pliable.

Return the uncovered plate of glazed mochi to the microwave for approximately 5 minutes at 60% power --> You want to lower the power level even more to prevent the soy glaze from scorching. You can watch while it cooks to ensure it doesn't burn.

The crackers are done when the mochi is mostly opaque and crisp. If not, you can microwave in additional 30 second increments. If the edges are still slightly translucent, that is okay as it will crisp up when cool.

Of course, you can play around with a variety of flavors.

For one batch, I added 1 tsp of furikake directly to the batter and also sprinkled furikake on top, then microwaved at 70% power for about 7 minutes, as I skipped the glaze.

For another batch, I added 1/2 tsp of wasabi powder to the batter (as well as a touch of green food color) and continued using the glazing process.

For another (not pictured), I made a sweet matcha mochi cracker using 1 tsp of matcha powder in the batter, no glaze, microwaved for about 7 minutes.

Enjoy your fresh, on-demand, crispy, crunchy, salty-sweet mochi rice crackers.