This Hojicha Biko only requires 5 ingredients! Brewed Hojicha, glutinous rice, condensed milk and coco jam. It also comes together in 15 minutes.
I feel like everyone is going to Japan and will probably have brought back some Hojicha. The invention of Hojicha is quite recent. Like 1920's recent. Haha. Some tea growers started roasting leftover tea leaves and stems and it turns out it made the brewed tea sweeter and have a more robust flavor.
But if you walk around Uji the major producer of tea in Japan, most of the stores still sell matcha, matcha, matcha. There is one store that focuses on just Hojicha and that is HoHO Hojicha. Which is where I got the tea for this Hojicha recipe.
You don't have to get it there, but if you are in the area stop by.
Ingredients for Hojicha Biko
As I said all you need is 5 ingredients!
Brewed Hojicha - To make this boil 2 ½ cup of water and then pour it in to a teapot or bowl. Drop in 2 Hojicha tea packets. Leave to brew overnight so that it has very concentrated flavor. We are going to use this tea to cook the rice.
Glutinous Rice - You will need 1 cup of uncooked rice.
Coconut Condensed Milk - I used coconut, but you can use just regular condensed milk. This will be our sweeter and also add a bit of milky latte taste.
Coco Jam - This will be used as a light thin topping.
Hojicha Powder - Use as another topping for more flavor.
Want to Make a Matcha Version?
I do have a Matcha Biko recipe that you can make too. Click on the recipe button below to see.
How To Make Hojicha Biko
Place the uncooked rice in a rice cooker bowl. Rinse several times until water is clear. Then add the Hojicha up until the 1 cup line. Cook using the sweet rice button on the rice cooker if you have that option.
Once the rice is cooked add it to a non stick pan along with the left over Hojicha brew and coconut condensed milk.
Mix well and then put on the stove on high heat. Keep mixing constantly using a silicon spoon or spatula.
This is how it looks like after 10 minutes.
After cooking on high for 15 minutes the rice has absorbed all the tea and has started to get super sticky and thick. Turn off the heat at this point.
Line a 8x8 square pan with plastic wrap.
Then transfer the cooked Hojicha Biko into the prepared pan.
Smooth it out so it's nice and even. Leave to cool until it's at room temperature about 1 hour.
Once cool lift it up out of the pan and on to a cutting board.
Spread about ¼ cup of coco jam all over.
Spread it nice and thin.
Then cut the Hojicha Biko into small squares.
This is the brand I used but you can use your favorite powder.
Sprinkle a pinch over each square.
How To Serve Hojicha Biko
With Biko I like to eat it on the same day while it's nice and soft. The great thing about this recipe is that it makes a small batch so it will be gone by the end of the day.
However if you do have some leftovers it's best to put them in the refrigerator and then heat it up for a few seconds in the microwave to soften.
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Equipment
- Teapot
- 8x8 square pan
- Plastic Wrap
- Non-Stick Pan
Ingredients
- 2 ½ Cups Brewed Hojicha
- 1 Cup Raw Glutinous Rice
- 11oz Can Coconut Condensed Milk
- ¼ Cup Coco Jam
- 1 Teaspoon Hojicha Powder
Instructions
- Place the uncooked rice in a rice cooker bowl. Rinse several times until water is clear. Then add the brewed Hojicha up until the 1 cup line. Cook using the sweet rice button on the rice cooker if you have that option.
- Once the rice is cooked add it to a non stick pan along with the left over Hojicha brew and coconut condensed milk. Mix well and then put on the stove on high heat. Keep mixing constantly using a silicon spoon or spatula.
- After cooking on high for 15 minutes the rice has absorbed all the tea and has started to get super sticky and thick. Turn off the heat at this point.
- Line a 8x8 square pan with plastic wrap. Then transfer the cooked Hojicha Biko into the prepared pan. Smooth it out so it's nice and even. Leave to cool until it's at room temperature about 1 hour.
- Once cool lift it up out of the pan and on to a cutting board. Spread about ¼ cup of coco jam all over. Then cut the Hojicha Biko into small squares.
- Sprinkle with a pinch of Hojicha powder over each square.
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