Red bean paste rice cake or pan fried mochi is a classic Cantonese snack or street food in Hong Kong. Also, it’s one of my favorite childhood snacks. If you like mochi, you should try out this simple and delicious sweet red bean glutinous sticky rice cake recipe too!
Love glutinous rice cake? Check out these taro bun, nian gao, tang yuan with black sesame, red bean ice drink, Korean tteokbokki and red bean mochi recipes.

What is red bean paste rice cake?
This red bean glutinous rice cake recipe is a classic Hong Kong snack or street food. Also, it’s one of my favorite childhood snacks. Besides, this pan fried mochi with red bean paste called dou sa siu beng (豆沙燒餅) in Cantonese.
Sticky rice cake is made of glutinous rice flour with a sweet filling. Most people like to use red bean paste, peanut butter or black sesame paste as the filling. It’s a kind of mochi. However, this pan fried mochi recipe is slightly different because the sticky rice cake is pan fried.
What are the ingredients for red bean glutinous rice cake?
The ingredients are glutinous rice flour, sugar, hot water, vegetable oil and red bean paste.
Cooking tips for how to make sticky rice cake with red bean paste:
- Add glutinous rice flour and sugar into a bowl and mix it well. Then, pour the hot boiling water into the flour mixture. Be careful the dough is very hot. Use a spoon to stir and mix the dough until the dough is not too hot, but it is ok to use your hands to knead the dough. Remember to knead the dough while it’s still hot/warm.
- And, use the back of your fingers to knead the dough. Or, dip some oil on your hand or fingers when you knead the dough.)
- If you still have a hard time handling the sticky dough, try to use 7 tablespoons of hot boiling water instead.
- When you knead the dough, it’s a little bit sticky. Don’t worry about adding extra flour. Adding vegetable oil will help. Separate 2 times and pour the oil into the dough. Continue to knead the dough until it’s not sticky.
- Use your palms to flatten the flour dough and use fingers to flatten the sides. Make sure the middle of the dough is thicker.
- Put the filling, fold the dough and roll into a ball. Use the palm slightly to press the ball. Remember don’t flatten too much because the filling will come out.
- Spray some oil and turn on a small/low fire. Pan fry both sides and cover with the lid for 5 minutes each side.
FAQs:
Can I refrigerate the red bean sticky rice cake?
I don’t recommend it because it will be hard. If you refrigerate them, you can warm up in the microwave cover with a wet paper towel. It's best to consume it within a day or two. You can keep them out for a couple days and cover with a plastic wrap or zip lock bag.
How to make red bean paste?
See the details and instructions on how to make red bean paste in this post. However, you can also purchase red bean paste at Asian stores.
Instructions for how to make Chinese red bean paste rice cake:
Dough:
- Put 1 cup of glutinous rice flour into the bowl.
2. Then, add 1.5 tablespoons of sugar into the flour and mix it well.
3. Pour ½ cup of hot boiling water into the flour mixture. Mix the flour with a spoon. (Be careful when pouring the hot water.) The dough is hot, keep mixing with a spoon until it is not too hot and you can use your hand to knead the dough. (If you still have a hard time handling the sticky dough, try to use 7 tablespoons of hot boiling water instead.)
4. The dough is a little bit sticky and don't worry about adding extra flour. (Remember to knead the dough while it’s still hot/warm. And, use the back of your fingers to knead the dough. Or, dip some oil on your hand or fingers when you knead the dough.)
5. After that, pour 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil into the dough and continue to knead the dough until it's not sticky. (I like to separate 2 times by pouring the oil. Therefore, I add ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil at a time and continue to knead the dough.)
6. Next, roll the dough into elongated shape.
7. Roughly divide the dough into 6 pieces.
8. Roll the pieces into 6 balls.
Filing:
9. Scoop a tablespoon full of red bean paste and roll it into a ball. Repeat this step and roll 6 red bean paste balls.
10. Use your palm to press and flatten the flour dough.
Combine:
11. Then, use fingers to flatten the side. Make sure the middle of the dough is thicker than the side. And, place the red bean paste filling in the middle of the dough.
12. Fold and roll the dough with red bean paste filling into a ball. Repeat and finish 6 of them.
13. After, use your palm to press the dough with filling slightly.
Cooking:
14. Spray some oil into the non-stick pan and turn on small/ low fire. Pan fry both sides of the sticky rice cake with red bean paste. Cover the lid for 5 minutes. Then, flip the other side pan fry and cover the lid for another 5 minutes.
Enjoy this classic Cantonese pan fried mochi or red bean glutinous rice cake recipe! Also, check out these chocolate strawberries, Asian shaved ice, taro ice cream, almond jello, tofu pudding and ginger milk curd recipes.
You May Also Like These Recipes:
- STRAWBERRY PIE GLAZE WITH JELLO
- MANGO STICKY RICE THAI DESSERT
- FRESH STRAWBERRY MUFFINS
- HOMEMADE CARAMEL POPCORN
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Red Bean Paste Rice Cake
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup Glutinous rice flour
- 1.5 tablespoons Sugar
- ½ cup Hot boiling water (If you have a hard time kneading the dough, try to use 7 tablespoons instead.)
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
- 1 cup Red bean paste (Enough to roll into small 6 balls)
Instructions
- Put 1 cup of glutinous rice flour into the bowl.
- Then, add 1.5 tablespoons of sugar into the flour and mix it well.
- Pour ½ cup of hot boiling water into the flour mixture. Mix the flour with a spoon. (Be careful when pouring the hot water.) The dough is hot, keep mixing with a spoon until it is not too hot and you can use your hand to knead the dough. (If you still have a hard time handling the sticky dough, try to use 7 tablespoons of hot boiling water instead.)
- The dough is a little bit sticky and don't worry about adding extra flour. (Remember to knead the dough while it’s still hot/warm. And, use the back of your fingers to knead the dough. Or, dip some oil on your hand or fingers when you knead the dough.)
- After that, pour 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil into the dough and continue to knead the dough until it's not sticky. (I like to separate 2 times by pouring the oil. Therefore, I add ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil at a time and continue to knead the dough.)
- Next, roll the dough into elongated shape.
- Roughly divide the dough into 6 pieces.
- Roll the pieces into 6 balls.
- Scoop a tablespoon full of red bean paste and roll it into a ball. Repeat this step and roll 6 red bean paste balls.
- Use your palm to press and flatten the flour dough.
- Then, use fingers to flatten the side. Make sure the middle of the dough is thicker than the side. And, place the red bean paste filling in the middle of the dough.
- Fold and roll the dough with red bean paste filling into a ball. Repeat and finish 6 of them.
- After, use your palm to press the dough with filling slightly.
- Spray some oil into the non-stick pan and turn on small/ low fire. Pan fry both sides of the sticky rice cake with red bean paste. Cover the lid for 5 minutes. Then, flip the other side pan fry and cover the lid for another 5 minutes.
Notes
Cooking tips for how to make sticky rice cake with red bean paste:
- Add glutinous rice flour and sugar into a bowl and mix it well. Then, pour the hot boiling water into the flour mixture. Be careful the dough is very hot. Use a spoon to stir and mix the dough until the dough is not too hot, but it is ok to use your hands to knead the dough. Remember to knead the dough while it’s still hot/warm.
- And, use the back of your fingers to knead the dough. Or,dip some oil on your hand or fingers when you knead the dough.)
- If you still have a hard time handling the sticky dough, try to use 7 tablespoons of hot boiling water instead.
- When you knead the dough, it’s a little bit sticky. Don’t worry about adding extra flour. Adding vegetable oil will help. Separate 2 times and pour the oil into the dough. Continue to knead the dough until it’s not sticky.
- Use your palms to flatten the flour dough and use fingers to flatten the sides. Make sure the middle of the dough is thicker.
- Put the filling, fold the dough and roll into a ball. Use the palm slightly to press the ball. Remember don’t flatten too much because the filling will come out.
- Spray some oil and turn on a small/low fire. Pan fry both sides and cover with the lid for 5 minutes each side.
MZ
Was it possible to bake instead of frying?
Tracy O.
I haven't tried to bake them. If you bake them, you have to cover them with foil. I have baked Japanese Hawaiian mochi before. But, I'm not sure this red bean paste rice cake recipe can use the baking method.
Ying Zhi Lim
I have always struggled with this recipe. No matter how much I knead, add oil or add more glutinous rice flour it is still too sticky to handle. What am I doing wrong??
Tracy O.
Hi Ying Zhi,
Thank you for your comment. I double check with my original note. And, I tested 3 times using ½ cup of hot boiling water again this afternoon. It still works. The trick is to use the back of your fingers to knead the dough and dip some oil when you knead it. Yes, it is sticky on the fingers, try to remove the dough on the fingers and dip some oil on your hand. Then, add the oil a little bit at a time.
If you still have a hard time handling the dough, you can try 7 tablespoons of hot boiling water.
It will be easier for you to knead and handle the dough. Sorry, for the confusion from the previous comment. I will keep ½ cup of hot boiling water in the recipe. But, I added more tips for kneading the dough. Also, you can try 7-7.5 tablespoons of hot boiling water instead of ½ cup.
Mary Ann
Hi! This looks delicious! I was wondering if the patties can be made ahead of time and then pan fry the next day?
Tracy O.
Yes, you can. But, just make sure to cover it well with the plastic wrap and put in the fridge.