Ube Mochi Donuts

Why This Ube Mochi Donuts Works

During mixing, the glutinous rice flour and all-purpose flour grab onto the ube puree and sugar and form a sticky dough that still holds its shape. The starch in the glutinous rice flour swells a bit as it soaks up the coconut milk and whole milk, so the dough feels stretchy instead of crumbly. Eggs tie everything together, so the balls stay in one piece when they hit the hot oil instead of breaking apart.

Once the dough balls go into the 350°F oil, the outside cooks fast and sets into a thin crust. At the same time, the baking powder starts to puff inside, so the donuts become light and a little chewy instead of dense. As they fry, steam pushes out from the center, which keeps the inside moist while the outside slowly browns. By the time they float and turn golden, the starches inside are cooked through, the sugar has firmed up the crust, and the donuts stay soft and bouncy after they cool a bit.

Mistakes To Avoid

Letting the oil get too hot makes the outside of the mochi donuts brown very fast while the centers stay gummy and undercooked. The crust looks done, so they come out early, but the inside stays pasty and heavy instead of chewy.

Using regular rice flour instead of glutinous rice flour changes the whole texture. The dough fries up dry and bready instead of stretchy, and the donuts turn out firm and crumbly instead of soft and bouncy.

Adding a lot more milk to loosen the dough turns it into a thick batter instead of a dough that can be rolled. In the oil, this kind of mixture spreads, forms odd shapes, and can soak up more oil, giving greasy, misshapen donuts.

Rolling the dough balls too big means the outside finishes long before the middle cooks. The donuts either burn on the outside while the center stays dense and raw, or they are pulled early and end up with a tough shell and a doughy core.