Mochi Bacon
Ah bacon. So salty, fatty, and satisfying. Most vegans/vegetarians seem to miss bacon above all other meats. To be honest, I have yet to find a store bought version that satiates that craving, so I went a journey of creating something with the texture and flavor profile of bacon minus the piggy.
I was originally inspired by Sauce Stache, after seeing him make bacon out of mochi. I added my own flair and came up with a plant based bacon that is crispy, savory, and unctuous. This recipe is not meant to be ‘healthy‘ but more as a fun treat for when your hankering for that greasy goodness, I hope you enjoy!
Mochi Bacon
2 sheets rice paper
1/3 cup mushroom seasoning
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons maple
1 1/2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 teaspoons white miso
1/4 cup refined coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup tapioca starch, plus more for rolling
3/4 cup sweet rice flour
3/4 cup water
Rehydrate the rice paper in water. In a mixing bowl, add all ingredients except tapioca starch, sweet rice flour, and water. Mix well until fully combined and oil is emulsified. Marinate the drain rice paper with about 1/4 cup of the bacon flavoring and refrigerate. Add the tapioca starch to the remaining bacon flavoring. Mix well and refrigerate. Place sweet rice flour and water into a microwavable bowl with a lid. Mix well and microwave for about 3-3 1/2 minutes, removing every 30 seconds and stirring. This will form a stretchy mochi dough. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
Liberally sprinkle a piece of parchment paper and rolling pin with tapioca starch. Place your mochi onto the parchment and carefully roll out until it is about the same size as the rice paper. Place marinated rice paper on mochi and add remaining bacon flavoring. Roll into a burrito, using the tapioca starch to avoid sticking. Roll tightly in parchment and plastic wrap. Place in freezer for at least 4 hours or until fully frozen. Thaw for about 20 minutes before slicing. Cook slices of bacon in 1-2 tablespoons of neutral oil for 6-8 minutes on medium to low heat. Flip, sprinkle with salt, and cook for an additional 4 minutes.
Tips & Tricks
This recipe is not exactly beginner friendly.
The most difficult part in making the bacon is dealing with the stickiness of the mochi dough, so definitely use lots of tapioca starch to prevent sticking.
Slicing it can also be difficult. I have found that it is easier to cut when it is still semi-frozen.
If it falls apart when cutting, don’t panic! When frying, the bacon begins to melt and you can easily piece it back together.
When frying, be careful to cook the bacon on medium to low heat to avoid burning.
You can substitute potato starch instead of tapioca starch but you CANNOT substitute regular rice flour for sweet rice flour. Sweet rice flour or glutinous rice flour is what makes the mochi.
Sweet rice flour, mushroom seasoning, rice paper, and tapioca can be found in Asian markets.
I linked my original YouTube video down below but I have changed the recipe slightly since then.