Chilled Tofu Terrine is one of those dishes that looks incredibly elegant, but is actually super simple to make. There’s no oven involved, barely any cooking, and it can be made ahead—perfect for warm weather days when the last thing you want is to stand read more
It’s always nice when everyone at the table can enjoy the same meal and no one feels left out. My beautiful friend Ellen Kanner has been making sure that vegans have delicious and exciting food on her table with her wonderful blog Soulful Vegan, her read more
I feel like the words “bacon wrapped” alone should be enough to get you running into your kitchen, but these Bacon Wrapped Mochi are truly the perfect snack. Salty, sweet, and savory hit all the right notes; ready in minutes with just a handful of ingredients, these Bacon Wrapped Mochi take snacking to the stratosphere! My inspiration for this snack comes from bacon wrapped dates, which for many years featured prominently as a quick, last minute appetizer in my house, when I was strapped for time (literally every family get together) and needed something to serve with drinks. I loved how little effort was needed for something so delicious. As popular as bacon wrapped dates have become, hopefully these Bacon Wrapped Mochi will too.
Like its forefather, Bacon Wrapped Mochi follows a similar minimalist theme: only two items for the main item plus a simple two ingredient glaze. The glaze borrows from the all too addictive combination of bacon and maple syrup. By itself it’s a match made in pig heaven, but the touch of soy gives the glaze a toasty umami punch that you’ll love. Chewy delicious Bacon Wrapped Mochi bites are just as amazing as they sound, so let’s get into it.
If the only mochi you are familiar with are the little ice cream filled treats, you are probably feeling quite confused right about now. There are many different kinds of mochi or rice cakes enjoyed in Japan. Mochi is made from glutinous or sticky rice. It’s not the same type of rice you would eat with a Japanese meal. Traditionally, the glutinous rice is steamed and then pounded. The mochi is then eaten in lots of different ways: topped with sweet or savory sauces and condiments, stuffed with sweet beans, served in soups and stews, grilled until toasted and crackly, and even deep fried. Like rice, mochi is a blank canvas, and the sky is the limit on creativity.
The mochi that we use to make Bacon Wrapped Mochi is known as kirimochi. These are individually wrapped little blocks of shelf stable rice cakes. They are found in most Asian markets and easily found online. Kirimochi is incredibly convenient to keep on hand whenever you’re in the mood for mochi. Straight out of the bag, these mochi blocks are very dense and hard. But after they’re cooked, they have a fabulous soft, chewy and sticky texture that’s really fun. Once you make Bacon Wrapped Mochi, you are going to want to have a bag in your pantry at all times so you can whip this delectable snack up again and again.
I start making these Bacon Wrapped Mochi by cutting the kirimochi. Some brands are pre-scored to make it easier to cut through the mochi. Start by cutting into the mochi and then gently rock the knife back and forth to cut through the dense block. Each block should be cut into three equal pieces.
Then I cut the bacon slices in half. You can use whatever type of bacon you like but choose a standard cut. The thick cut bacon makes it difficult to cook through to the center once it’s wrapped and will prevent heat from cooking the mochi.
Once the bacon is cut, simply wrap one piece around a chunk of mochi. Then secure it at the end with a toothpick. Coincidentally, the toothpicks also make a simple handle for picking up and eating the mochi bites after they are cooked. It’s not necessary to soak the toothpicks in water. The cooking time is too quick to do any damage. However, make sure that your toothpicks are plain (no mint flavor!) and don’t have any plastic decoration that could burn in the pan.
A medium 10 inch pan should be large enough to fit all of your Bacon Wrapped Mochi. Place all of the pieces in the pan and then cook it over medium heat. Bacon has a lot of fat that will start to render as it cooks so it’s not necessary to put any extra oil in the pan. Once you’ve cooked one side and the bacon is nice and browned, flip it over and cook the other.
You will notice a lot of oil in the pan once you’ve cooked the mochi. Take a paper towel and mop up the excess grease. (Never pour grease down the sink or you will face plumbing problems down the road). Finally, add the maple syrup and soy sauce to the pan and cook it for a couple minutes, turning the mochi bites to coat them well in the glaze.
Let the Bacon Wrapped Mochi cook for another minute to get all nice and glazed in the pan sauce:
And now this perfect little snack is ready to serve. Believe me, they will be fought over!
You can serve these bacon wrapped mochi as an appetizer, or pass around at a cocktail party (yuzu margaritas anyone?), serve with other snacky dishes like Burdock Chips and Edamame Hummus, or just make a plate full and enjoy them as a meal all by themselves. However you decide to inhale them, leave a comment and let me know. And don’t forget to tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love seeing your creations!
Keywords: bacon, mochi, snacks, appetizers, japanese
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UPDATED JUNE 2026
Well guys, I did it. I finally caved to peer pressure and I got an air fryer. And wow am I having fun playing with it! We have this Japanese Fried Chicken on our restaurant menus, and it is hugely popular. I wanted to see if I could capture the juicy, crunchy deliciousness of it in an air fryer, and I was not disappointed! All the crispy, savory goodness with none of the hassles of deep frying, so let’s get into it.
There isn’t a culture that doesn’t make fried chicken, and I love them all, from Korean Fried Chicken to Nashville Hot. But Japanese Fried Chicken, known as karaage, holds a special place in my heart. It gets marinated with ginger, sake and oyster sauce, and that helps it stay extraordinarily juicy and flavorful. And instead of flour, I use potato starch. That makes for super crispy fried chicken, and it happens to be gluten free.
I start making this by cutting up the chicken into bite-sized chunks. I use thighs because they have a better, meatier flavor and it is we typically what use when making this dish. Also since we’re using an air fryer that is much drier than frying in oil, the extra moisture from thigh meat is very much appreciated.
I start by slicing the chunks into 1 1/2 inch chunks:
Then it’s time to add the seasonings. Sprinkle the chicken with the ginger, sake, oyster sauce, and black pepper:
Thoroughly mix in the seasoning, making sure all the chicken is well coated:
When it’s thoroughly mixed I press plastic wrap down on the chicken and let it chill in the fridge for at least a half hour, or up to overnight. The extra time in the fridge really allows the flavors to penetrate giving you an even more delicious fried chicken.
Although this recipe is made using an air fryer, you could easily adapt it to oven-frying or even traditional frying. And I put both techniques in the recipe notes. There’s no reason not to make this chicken!
The trick to air frying and oven-frying is to use a modest amount of oil to re-create a similar mouth feel and texture as fried food. However, it would be a mistake to think you don’t need to use any oil. Foods just don’t get crispy without oil, no matter how much air you pump at it. To help with that, I use a can of spray oil, which I consider a great resource for quickly and evenly getting oil across the surface.
I like to spray the fryer basket with oil. This allows the bottom of the chicken to sit on an oiled surface and develop the same texture as the top of the chicken, which will also be sprayed.
When I’m ready to fry the chicken, I first dredge it in the potato starch, a few pieces at a time:
Add the dredged chicken to the air fryer basket:
Spray the top with oil:
Airfry at 360 degrees, flipping the chicken every 5 minutes for 25-30 minutes:
I put the chicken in two layers but I think if you can fit it in one layer, it would be easier to flip the chicken. And don’t be too aggressive when flipping/shaking the chicken as you want to preserve the coating and not have it flake off.
I cook the chicken at a moderate heat so it the coating doesn’t get too dark before the chicken is finished cooking. You’re looking for a nice golden crust and juicy chicken. When it’s done it will look like this:
Serve it with some Kewpie mayo, lemon wedges, and shichimi pepper for an outrageously delicious starter.
It’s wonderful served alongside:
Make Japanese Fried Chicken this weekend-I promise it’s worth lugging the air fryer out. Then take a moment to rate the recipe below, and tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!
*If you have the ability to cook the chicken in one layer in the airfryer, I highly recommend it so you reduce the chance that the coating will peel off from flipping it around.
*You can also oven fry this chicken if you do not have an air fryer. Preheat the oven to 400. Put down a piece of parchment paper. (You can also use aluminum foil). Spray your parchment paper with oil. Lay your prepared chicken on the paper and spray again with oil. Bake the chicken for 20-25 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through. (I would spray the chicken again after you flip it). Serve immediately.
*If you would like to deep fry your chicken, pour 2 inches of oil into a deep heavy skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Test the oil by dipping a piece of chicken into the oil. It should bubble immediately. If not, let the oil continue to heat for a couple more minutes. Depending on the size of your skillet, put enough chicken into the pan so that it’s only half full of chicken. Do not crowd the pan otherwise your chicken will soak up a lot of oil and not cook properly. Cook for 6-8 minutes until crisp and golden. Transfer the fried chicken to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat with the remaining chicken. Serve immediately.
Keywords: air fryer, fried chicken, japanese, appetizers, small plates, gluten free
Hi there!
I’m Kazu, a restaurateur in Miami who wants to show you all of the best tricks for creating restaurant quality Asian meals at home.
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