Poi Mochi (Hawaiʻi Local Fried Poi and Mochiko Bites)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 4-quart pot or Dutch oven for frying
• •Deep-fry thermometer
• •Small cookie scoop or two spoons
• •Wire rack set over a sheet pan

Instructions

1. 1

   Warm the oil

   Pour 2 inches of neutral oil into a heavy pot and heat to 350F. Keep the pot no more than half full, because the bites puff and the oil needs room. Set a rack or paper towel-lined tray nearby.

2. 2

   Mix the dry

   Whisk the mochiko, sugar, baking powder, and salt together until the flour is even and no little pockets of baking powder are hiding. Mochiko clumps easy, so break it up now before the poi comes in.

3. 3

   Bring in poi

   Stir the poi and water together until loosened, then fold that into the dry mix. The batter should be thick, sticky, and purple-gray, more like soft paste than pancake batter. If it stands too stiff and dry, add water 1 tablespoon at a time. No blame the taro. You just help it along.

4. 4

   Fry small bites

   Use two small spoons or a small cookie scoop to drop tablespoon-size portions into the oil, six or seven at a time. Fry 3 to 5 minutes, turning often, until the outside is deep golden brown with darker purple-gray seams and the bites feel light for their size.

5. 5

   Drain and finish

   Lift the poi mochi to the rack and let the surface settle into a glossy crisp edge. Break one open from the first batch: the middle should be cooked through, chewy, and stretchy, not wet batter. Dust with sugar while warm if you like, or leave them plain the way plenty aunties do.

6. 6

   Serve warm

   Serve the poi mochi the same day, warm if you can. They belong in a paper tray, on a kitchen plate, or passed around outside while everybody is still talking. Crisp edge, chewy middle, one more bite than you meant to eat.

Chef Tips

• •Use real poi, not taro powder if you can help it. Fresh poi gives a softer, cleaner chew; lightly sour poi gives more old-school tang under the sugar.
• •Keep the oil around 350F. Too cool and the bites drink oil before they set; too hot and the outside browns before the middle cooks.
• •Eat what you have. If the poi is thick, loosen it with a little water. If it is thin, hold back some water in the batter. The spoon tells you more than the measuring cup.
• •These are best fresh. Leftovers can be warmed in an air fryer or 325F oven until the edge comes back, but the first fry is the real joy.

Advance Preparation

• •The dry mix can be whisked together a day ahead and kept covered at room temperature.
• •Mix the wet batter close to frying time. Once the baking powder is wet, the clock starts.
• •Fry no more than 1 hour before serving if you want the best crisp edge and chewy center.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 27g)