Glutinous rice flour

Glutinous rice flour, also sold as sweet rice flour or mochiko, is ground from short-grain sticky rice. Despite the name, it contains no wheat gluten; glutinous refers to the sticky, glue-like texture it develops when cooked.

Mixed with water, it forms a smooth, elastic dough that turns soft and chewy when steamed, boiled, or baked. It is the base for mochi, including mochi ice cream, as well as sweet dumplings, rice cakes, and chewy baked goods such as butter mochi.

It behaves very differently from regular rice flour, which is milled from non-sticky rice and gives a crisp, sandy texture, so the two are not interchangeable. It also helps thicken sauces and keeps gluten-free baked goods moist. Store it dry and airtight.