Chīzu Imomochi with Soy-Honey Glaze (Print Version)

Golden potato mochi dumplings filled with melty cheese, glazed in sweet-savory soy-honey sauce. Easy Japanese comfort food.

# What You'll Need:

→ 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

# How to Make It:

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, incorporate butter and salt, mixing well to combine.
03 - Add potato starch to mashed potatoes and knead until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. Add additional starch incrementally if mixture becomes too tacky.
04 - Divide dough into 8 equal portions. Flatten each piece into a disc, place a cheese cube in the center, and wrap 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 achieve golden brown color, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.
06 - In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, honey, mirin, and rice vinegar. Pour glaze into skillet with dumplings. Toss gently to coat and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until sauce thickens and adheres to dumplings.
07 - Serve dumplings warm. Optional garnish includes sliced scallions or toasted sesame seeds.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • They fry up with edges so crispy they shatter, while the inside stays pillowy and soft with pockets of gooey cheese.
  • The soy-honey glaze clings to every surface, sweet and salty and just sticky enough to lick off your fingers.
  • You can make the dough ahead and fry them right before serving, so they're always hot and fresh.
  • They work as a snack, an appetizer, or even a cozy dinner with a bowl of miso soup on the side.
02 -
  • Don't skip draining the potatoes well; excess water will make the dough too wet and it won't hold together when you try to shape it.
  • Seal the cheese cubes tightly or they'll leak out during frying and burn on the pan, leaving you with hollow dumplings and a mess to scrape off.
  • Keep the heat at medium; too high and the outside burns before the inside warms through, too low and they'll absorb oil and turn greasy.
03 -
  • Use a nonstick skillet or a well-seasoned cast iron pan; the glaze can stick and burn on stainless steel.
  • If the dough feels too sticky to handle, lightly oil your hands instead of adding more starch, which can make the dumplings dense.
  • Let the dumplings rest for a minute after frying so the cheese sets slightly; biting into molten cheese straight off the pan is a fast track to a burned tongue.
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