Bacon Wrapped Mochi

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Bacon wrapped around mochi, pan fried (or grilled) until the bacon gets nice and crisp, the mochi all soft and chewy. It's hot, it's savory, it is glorious! This is the perfect afternoon snack, decadent and satisfying. It's also ideal for bbq days and pairs well with any cold beverage. Wrap, cook, and enjoy! A quick and easy snack.

A plate of bacon wrapped mochi. — *Bacon Wrapped Mochi.*

Why This Recipe Works

Love bacon? Love mochi? Then this is the recipe for you.

We take a small piece of mochi, then wrap a strip of bacon around it. And then we pan fry it (no need to add oil) on both sides until the bacon is crisp and the mochi is soft (almost molten!) and chewy. It is incredibly onolicious.

There's no rules to when or how you can enjoy bacon wrapped mochi, but we mostly eat it as a fun afternoon snack or on weekend bbq days with family and friends. You might have also bacon wrapped mochi on the menu of yakitori restaurants where they pieces are arranged on a skewer.

Who knew it was so easy to make at home! We usually pan fry it, but you can also do it on a grill.

Right before we finish cooking the dish, we brush it with a soy sauce and mirin mixture...this little extra flavor really takes it over the top. But you can also make the recipe without it, delicious either way!

I hope you enjoy this recipe. There's something about the combination of salty, crunchy bacon and the chewy soft texture of hot mochi that's just wonderful.

First you'll have one, and then two, and then three...and then you'll be like, where did all the bacon wrapped mochi go?! ^_^

Kirimochi

Mochi is one of the main ingredients in this recipe. Specifically, kirimochi. What is kirimochi?

Kirimochi is a hard/dried mochi. You can find it at Japanese markets and online. It is shelf-stable and makes for a great pantry food item. There are usually 8-12 pieces of individually wrapped kirimochi in each package. The mochi is rectangular and you have to heat it up before you can eat it.

For this recipe, we cut each mochi piece into a few smaller pieces before wrapping the bacon around it.

Note from a local: We often make fresh mochi in Hawaii. We love mochi so much that there are even Hawaii cookbooks devoted to mochi! If you have fresh mochi available, feel free to use fresh mochi for this recipe. It will be super delicious.

Ingredients

A plate of uncooked bacon wrapped mochi. — *Wrap the bacon halves around the mochi.*

Step By Step Directions

Let's get cooking ^_^

Cut the mochi.
Cut each piece of kirimochi into 3 smaller pieces and set aside.

Pro Tip: The uncooked kirimochi pieces are very hard, please be careful when cutting the mochi.

Cut the bacon.
Cut each strip of bacon in half.

Wrap bacon around mochi.
Wrap each bacon half around a piece of mochi. Place them all on a pan.

Pro Tip: Place it with the end of the bacon face down on the pan. This will keep the bacon from falling open when you cook.

Cook.
Over medium heat, cook for 5-6 minutes on each side until the bacon gets crispy and the mochi is soft.

Make mirin-soy sauce mixture.
While the bacon cooks, mix the soy sauce and mirin together in a very small pan. Bring to a boil, and then turn to low heat. Cook until the mixture reduces and gets thicker. Remove from heat.

Note: This mirin and soy sauce mixture is like a super simplified version of a tare sauce. If you have the time, feel free to replace the mirin and soy sauce mixture. with homemade tare sauce.

Drizzle mixture over bacon and mochi.
Use a small spoon to drizzle a little of the soy sauce-mirin mixture over the bacon wrapped mochi. Let cook for another minute.

Eat and enjoy.
Remove and place the bacon wrapped mochi pieces on a plate and serve! Enjoy hot ^_^

FAQs and Tips

Extra bacon.

You'll end up with 9 pieces of cut mochi and 10 bacon halves. What to do with that extra half? Pan fry and eat it as a snack.

No bacon?

You can replace bacon with thinly sliced pork belly ^_^

Extra sauce

You'll have extra of the soy sauce and mirin mixture/sauce - save this in the fridge for any other recipe. Or to make more bacon wrapped mochi tomorrow! This is a super delicious snack. You'll want more.

Skip the sauce mixture?

If you want to keep this recipe extra simple, you can skip the soy sauce and mirin mixture/sauce. The soy sauce and mirin makes it extra delicious, but this is still a wonderful snack without it.

Double or even triple.

Feel free to double or even triple this recipe! Or you can even cut the recipe in half. As long as you have 1 piece of mochi and 1 strip of bacon, the world is yours.

How long does this keep?

You want to eat it right away, when the bacon is hot and crisp and the mochi is super soft and warm. So it will not keep. You can prepare all the ingredients ahead of time (include the soy sauce and mirin mixture), and then cook right before you eat it.