Learn how to make warabi mochi, a jelly-like mochi that is popular in Japan’s Kansai region and Okinawa.

Warabi Mochi Recipe: How to Make Japanese Warabi Mochi

*Warabi* is the Japanese name for bracken, a type of fern. Warabi mochi is made from starch produced from the bracken root, which gives warabi mochi its unique jelly-like texture. In contrast, [mochi](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/mochi-recipe) made from pounded glutinous rice have a chewy texture. A dusting of *kinako* (soybean flour) adds a nutty flavor to warabi mochi. Popular in the summertime, warabi mochi are commonly served chilled and topped with *kuromitsu* (brown sugar syrup).
Bracken starch is a flavorless substance made from the [rhizome](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-grow-ginger-turmeric-and-hops)—the subterranean plant stem—of common bracken. The rhizome contains about five percent starch, which is extracted to make *hon warabiko* (pure bracken starch). *Hon warabiko* is brown in color and sold as small, highly perishable, clay-like clumps of starch that must be stored at room temperature. As an alternative to pricey *hon warabiko*, many Japanese stores offer warabi *mochiko* made from tapioca starch or sweet potato starch.
Learn how to make warabi mochi, a jelly-like mochi that is popular in Japan’s Kansai region and Okinawa.

Warabi is the Japanese name for bracken, a type of fern. Warabi mochi is made from starch produced from the bracken root, which gives warabi mochi its unique jelly-like texture. In contrast, <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/mochi-recipe' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/mochi-recipe","linkCopy":"mochi","category":null}'>mochi</a> made from pounded glutinous rice have a chewy texture. A dusting of kinako (soybean flour) adds a nutty flavor to warabi mochi. Popular in the summertime, warabi mochi are commonly served chilled and topped with kuromitsu (brown sugar syrup).

What Is Warabi Mochi?

Bracken starch is a flavorless substance made from the <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-grow-ginger-turmeric-and-hops' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-grow-ginger-turmeric-and-hops","linkCopy":"rhizome","category":null}'>rhizome</a>—the subterranean plant stem—of common bracken. The rhizome contains about five percent starch, which is extracted to make hon warabiko (pure bracken starch). Hon warabiko is brown in color and sold as small, highly perishable, clay-like clumps of starch that must be stored at room temperature. As an alternative to pricey hon warabiko, many Japanese stores offer warabi mochiko made from tapioca starch or sweet potato starch.

What Is Bracken Starch?

Classic Warabi Mochi Recipe

Learn how to make warabi mochi, a jelly-like mochi that is popular in Japan’s Kansai region and Okinawa.

Learn how to make warabi mochi, a jelly-like mochi that is popular in Japan’s Kansai region and Okinawa.
