The holiday season is here, and UH News is asking members of the University of Hawaiʻi ʻohana to share their favorite recipes. The hope is these recipes and the short stories that accompany them will give everyone some ideas for eats throughout the holidays along with some good feelings of the season.
Valerie Melle wears multiple hats at Kauaʻi Community College as a natural resource program associate, bee educator and researcher with the campus’ apiary and ʻUlutopia project.
“Since I’ve been working with ʻUlutopia Project Director Brian Yamamoto and our flour production this year, I’ve learned a lot about the consistency of ʻulu at various stages,” Melle said.
Her recipe is a riff on traditional butter mochi, which was already a family favorite.
“This familiar treat using ʻulu is a tradition of sorts for my family to welcome and send blessings to loved ones and inspiration for the next new year,” Melle said. “It is also a gift, if someone in our family makes the mochi to give away—especially during the holidays.”
ʻUlu Butter Mochi
Ingredients
- 1 pound mochiko flour
- 2 cups organic cane sugar (can be cut down to 1½ cups)
- 1 tablespoon baking powdah
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 (12-ounce) can coconut milk
- 1 cup sweet ripe ʻulu, mashed
- ½ cup buttah, melted
Instructions
1. Preheat da oven: Heat ‘em up to 350°F.
2. Prep da pan: Grease one 9×13 pan wit’ non-stick spray, or line ‘em wit’ parchment so da mochi no stick.
3. Mix da dry stuff: In one big bowl, mix up da mochiko, sugar, an’ baking powdah.
4. Add da wet stuff: Throw in da eggs, vanilla, coconut milk, ulu, an’ melted buttah. Mix ‘em till smooth. No mo’ lumps!
5. Pour da batter: Dump all da batter inside da pan an’ spread ‘em nice an’ even.
6. Bake ‘em: Cook ‘em in da oven fo’ 45–60 minutes, till da top stay golden brown an’ da edges pull away from da pan. Stick one toothpick inside—if come out clean, you good!
7. Cool ‘em down: Let da mochi cool down all da way before you cut ‘em up into squares. Enjoy ‘em warm or room temp, all good!
