Chīzu Imomochi Cheese Potato Mochi (Print)

Chewy potato mochi filled with melty cheese, pan-fried golden and glazed in sticky soy-honey sauce.

# Ingredients:

→ For the Dumplings

01 - 14 oz russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
02 - ½ cup potato starch or cornstarch
03 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
04 - ½ teaspoon salt
05 - 3 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 8 cubes

→ For the Soy-Honey Glaze

06 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
07 - 1½ tablespoons honey
08 - 1 tablespoon mirin
09 - 1 teaspoon rice vinegar

→ For Frying

10 - 1 tablespoon neutral oil such as canola or vegetable

# Directions:

01 - Place peeled and chopped potatoes in a pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until fork-tender, approximately 12 to 15 minutes.
02 - Drain potatoes thoroughly and mash until smooth. While still warm, add butter and salt, mixing well to combine.
03 - Add potato starch to the mashed potatoes and knead until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. Add additional starch as needed if consistency is too sticky.
04 - Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a disc, place a cheese cube in the center, and wrap the dough around to seal, forming a ball.
05 - Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add dumplings and cook, turning occasionally, until all sides are golden brown, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.
06 - In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, honey, mirin, and rice vinegar. Pour glaze into the skillet with dumplings. Toss gently to coat and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until sauce thickens and glazes the dumplings.
07 - Serve warm, optionally garnished with sliced scallions or toasted sesame seeds.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • They taste indulgent but come together in under an hour with ingredients you probably already have.
  • The contrast between the chewy mochi exterior and melted cheese filling feels like a small celebration every time you bite into one.
02 -
  • Don't let your mashed potatoes cool completely before adding starch—the warmth makes the dough come together smoothly, but room-temperature potatoes can turn gluey and impossible to work with.
  • The glaze thickens fast once it hits the pan, so have all your ingredients measured and ready before you start cooking the dumplings, or you'll miss the perfect moment.
03 -
  • If your dough feels too sticky even after adding starch, chill it for 10 minutes—it'll firm up just enough to handle without becoming hard or crackly.
  • A nonstick skillet is worth its weight in gold here because even the best oil can betray you with sticky bottoms, and nonstick lets everything slide around freely.
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