Tigernut Stuffed Ube “Mochi” Pancakes
Can you believe there are actually over 400 varieties of sweet potatoes in the world to choose from? This was hard for me to believe at first until I realized that I could probably name five to ten off the top of my head.
My favorite varieties of sweet potatoes are Japanese, Hannah and almost any purple sweet potato I can get my hands on. They’re rich, creamy and I love using them in my daily meals in both sweet and savory recipes.
To make these “Mochi” inspired pancakes, I used dehydrated ube powder that I found at my local 99 Ranch as well as Japanese sweet potatoes.
Mochi is a traditional Japanese sweet and has also been adopted in other South East Asian cultures including Korea and China. There are multiple preparations and multiple ways to serve them. The most common is stuffed with red bean paste, nut butter or sesame paste.
Over the course of the last 30 to 40 years, the idea of filling mochi with ice cream has become popular as well.
This take is on mochi less traditional as the use of alternative ingredients changes the construction and flavor. Mochi is typically grilled, pan fried or boiled and once it’s cooked it becomes soft and incredibly chewy. This version is less chewy, more pancakey and purely delicious.
Tigernut Stuffed Ube “Mochi” Pancakes
(makes 4-5 servings)
Ingredients:
“Mochi”:
300g steamed Japanese sweet potatoes (sub w/ hannah sweet potatoes)
2 oz dehydrated Ube powder
5 tbsp arrowroot flour
1 tbsp cassava flour
1-2 tbsp garnet elderberry powder or purple carrot powder (for flavor and color, optional but encouraged)
Tigernut Stuffing:
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup tigernut flour
1/2 cup water too thin
To make:
Start by washing your sweet potatoes. Peel them and roughly chop into pieces and place them into a medium sized pan with about a cup or so of water. Turn the stove on and steam your sweet potatoes until you can easily pierce them with a fork.
While your sweet potatoes are steaming, make your tigernut stuffing. Add 2 tbsp coconut oil, 1/2 cup tigernut flour and 1/2 cup water to thin it all out. Your coconut oil does not need to be melted for this. Just mush it into the flour with your hands or a spoon until it’s mixed together well. Set this aside.
Once your sweet potatoes are fork tender, strain out the water and add them to a large bowl. Add the dehydrated ube powder, arrowroot flour and cassava flour. Mix together until a dough forms. Kneed with your hands until it does. You should have a firm but soft and pliable dough.
Roll your dough into a log and cut it into four or five even pieces. Place a bit of flour in your hand to prevent the dough from sticking. Then, flatten each piece in the palm of your hand until it’s wide enough to hold about a teaspoon or two of your tigernut stuffing. Using a small spoon or measuring spoon place a bit of stuffing in the center. Using your other hand, gently fold the sides in and roll your piece of dough into a ball. Repeat this process for all other dough pieces.
Oil a skillet with avocado oil and place each mochi on it. Cook for about five minutes on each side until browned and cooked through. Cool before eating. These can be eaten cold or warmed.
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