Gunma Yakimochi, Miso Wheat Cakes

Name: Gunma Yakimochi, Miso Wheat Cakes
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: all-purpose flour 500 g; baking soda 20 g; scallion 50 g; shiso leaves 10 g; miso 50 g; lukewarm water 120 ml; cooking oil for griddling 2 tbsp

Quick answer

Total time: 45 min
Level: Easy
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients: 7

About this dish

The name says mochi, but these Gunma griddle cakes are wheat: flour and baking soda mixed with scallion and shiso, then kneaded with miso dissolved in water.

They reflect the prefecture's strong wheat culture, built on wheat growing and double cropping, and similar cakes are called oyaki or jiriyaki in some areas. Farm households made them for koju-han, a hearty break between stretches of fieldwork, and also ate them with tea or carried them into the mountains.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmount

cooking oil for griddling

Amazon.comSearch

Shop All Ingredients

As an Amazon Associate, we may earn from qualifying purchases.

Instructions

4 steps

1

Finely chop 50g scallion and 10g shiso leaves to pieces no larger than 3mm.

Whisk 500g all-purpose flour and 20g baking soda in a large bowl for 30 seconds, then add the chopped vegetables.
2

Whisk 50g miso into 120ml lukewarm water for 1 minute until smooth.

Add it to the flour in 3 additions, mixing by hand each time, then knead for 5 minutes until no dry flour remains and the dough forms one mass.
3

Divide the dough into 20 portions, roll each smooth, and press into a 7cm-wide, 1cm-thick disk.

Preheat a griddle or heavy pan over low heat for 3 minutes and spread 2 tablespoons cooking oil in a thin layer.
4

Arrange the cakes without touching and cook over low heat for 5 to 6 minutes per side, 10 to 12 minutes total.

Remove when both sides have even brown spots and a test cake has no wet raw flour at the center. Cook in 2 batches if needed.