Coconut Peanut Mochi (lo mai chi)

Soft and bouncy coconut peanut mochi made from only 5 key ingredients! These mochi contain a sweet crumbly peanut filling and are coated in dried coconut. They're called Lo Mai Chi in Cantonese or Nuo Mi Ci in Mandarin.

Ingredients you'll need

The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the gray recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Sweet glutinous rice flour OR mochiko flour. I bought mine from an East Asian shop. Unfortunately, regular rice flour will not work in this recipe.

Unsweetened coconut milk (canned, not the beverage variety). This is where most of the coconut flavor comes! It also makes the mochi delightfully soft and tender.

Peanuts. I used roasted unsalted peanuts but you can use salted, or unroasted (just make sure you roast them before using).

Peanut butter (optional). This isn't used in traditional lo mai chi but it adds moisture to the filling and partially binds it. Alternatively, you can use coconut oil or even maple syrup.

Prepare the mochi dough

The coconut mochi dough can be prepared in a non-stick saucepan, in a steamer or microwave. If using a pan, it definitely needs to be non-stick!

First, combine all ingredients in a bowl (or your saucepan) and mix until it's smooth. The batter should resemble a thick yogurt drink.

If you're cooking your dough on the stovetop, consistently stir your mixture for around 8-13 minutes. It'll become lumpy but with enough mixing, you'll eventually have a smooth dough.

If you want to use the microwave, check out the instructions in my strawberry mochi ice cream post. Alternatively, you can steam the mixture for 15 minutes, mixing the dough halfway through.

Once you have a ball of dough, let it cool!

Filling tips and customizations

The peanut mochi filling is super easy to make. If you're using peanut butter, you may have to use your fingertips to rub it into the ground peanuts.

Some Chinese bakeries also add sesame seeds and coconut to the filling of lo mai chi. I've added some ingredient quantities in the recipe box at the bottom of this post).

And of course, any type of nuts will work for these mochi!

Tips for assembling mochi

Once your mochi dough has cooled, knead the dough until it's soft and stretchy. Mochi dough tends to be extremely sticky! Here are my top tips for handling the dough:

• Generously coat any surfaces, utensils and your hands with corn starch OR oil.
• Use a silicone or plastic surfaces/utensils (for example a pastry mat, spoon and rolling pin). Mochi sticks to wooden surfaces and utensils more easily.

It can take a little practice to flatten and wrap the mochi. Here are some tips:

• For 9 medium-sized mochi with a generous peanut filling, I rolled my dough into 4-inch circles. If you'd like a thicker mochi dough, roll your mochi into smaller circles and use less filling.
• There are so many different ways to wrap your filling. I wrapped each piece of dough like a taco then brought the ends in. Find a method that you like and don't stress!

Once you've wrapped your mochi balls, gently toss them in coconut. If you used oil when assembling your mochi, the coconut will easily stick to the surface. If you used cornstarch, you may need to brush your mochi with oil before coating them in coconut.

Additional Tips

More vegan Asian desserts

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