Black Pearl Mochi | Pearls Simmered in Powdered Sugarcane, Finished with Black Sugar Syrup

A dessert shop favourite, made at home with a short list of ingredients.

The base is a milk mochi, cooked on the stove until it turns glossy and pulls into long strands from the spoon. On top go black pearls simmered in sugarcane sweetness, a layer of butter crisp flakes, and a thin stream of black sugar syrup.

The sugar

Powdered Sugarcane (天然原蔗紅糖) is fine and fragrant, with the gentle caramel note of the cane. Black Sugar Syrup (黑糖漿) is dark and pourable, with a deep, toasty molasses flavour.

The powdered sugarcane does its work on the pearls. Stirred into the cooking water for the last few minutes, it dissolves quickly and coats each pearl in a glossy brown layer. The black sugar syrup goes on at the very end, so its depth sits right on top, where you taste it first.

Shop Powdered Sugarcane | Shop Black Sugar Syrup

What makes it work

Cook the pearls in fully boiling water, and wait until every one floats before you lower the heat. The 15 minute simmer that follows keeps the centres from staying hard.

For the mochi, stir the starch, sugar and milk together until no lumps remain before the pan goes on the heat. Then stir without stopping. The moment you feel resistance under the spatula, turn the heat to low. Once it bubbles, take it off the heat and keep stirring until smooth.

Recipe

Black Pearl Mochi

Ingredients

• Black tapioca pearls 100g
• Ship Brand Powdered Sugarcane 20g
• Tapioca starch 40g
• Raw cane sugar 25g
• Milk 350g
• Ship Brand Black Sugar Syrup 10g
• Butter crisp flakes, for topping
• Water, for boiling

Method

1. Bring a pot of water to a full boil and add the black pearls.
2. When all the pearls float, turn the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes until cooked through.
3. Pour off part of the water. Add the powdered sugarcane, stir until dissolved, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until the pearls are dark and glossy.
4. In a separate pan, stir the tapioca starch, raw cane sugar and milk until fully dissolved with no lumps.
5. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. As soon as the mixture thickens and you feel resistance, turn the heat to low.
6. Keep stirring over low heat until it bubbles, then turn off the heat and continue stirring until smooth and glossy.
7. Spoon the warm mochi into a serving bowl. Top with the black pearls, a layer of butter crisp flakes, and the black sugar syrup.

Closing

Dig the spoon in and the mochi stretches up in long strands, pearls and all. Soft, chewy and gently sweet, it is a bowl worth making twice.

Ship Brand (帆船牌) is the retail line of Yuen Tung Sugar Factory Industrial Company Limited. Sugar refined in Hong Kong since 1987. Shop the collection.