Trader Joe's Asian food is one of my favorite products at Trader Joe's. I regularly buy their Orange Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken, fried rice and more. Last time I went Trader Joe's, I found an item called Kung Pao Chicken Mochi Balls, which I haven't noticed before. I like chewy texture made of starch or flour, so I decided to try this product.
Trader Joe's Kung Pao Chicken Mochi Balls are rice balls with Chinese style stir-fried spicy chicken. I am more used to sweet dessert mochi, like red beans or ice cream in it. I was curious how the savory ingredients would go with the chewy mochi wrapper.
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| Trader Joe's Kung Pao Chicken Mochi Balls |
The package is 9 ounces, which is 255 grams. It's a small, light box. It seemed a little pricey for the size; $3.99.
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| $3.99 |
One serving, which is 3 pieces (99 g) of mochi balls, provides 5 g of protein and the entire package contains 35 milligrams of cholesterol. What makes the mochi chewy is mainly rice flour, and some wheat and corn starch are also mixed.
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| Nutrition facts & Ingredients |
They provide two heating instructions. I usually cook frozen food in a conventional oven or deep-fry. I believe deep-frying is the yummiest way to heat up some frozen food, but it's also a lot of work, so I am going to cook them in the conventional oven. I purchased this product on May 10, 2020 and it expires on February 21, 2021.
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| Heating instructions & Expiration date |
8 mochi balls are in a clear plastic bag inside the paper box. The size and number of the mochi balls are the same as in the picture on the package.
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| Kung Pao Chicken Mochi Balls |
The only thing that looks different from the picture is the mochi's color. They are a much lighter color and appear to be lightly cooked before packaged. The size is smaller than the average egg size.
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| Mochi balls before cooked |
I cooked the mochi balls in a conventional oven. The surface that touched the baking sheet turned golden brown, but the rest was still light color. I am sure if I deep-fried them, the mochi would have been beautiful golden brown all around. There are not many mochi balls in the package, so I cooked them with Tyson chicken nuggets (see the review) and hash brown.
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| Cooked in conventional oven |
Even though the color was unconvincing, the mochi was well cooked in 20 minutes in the oven. They were chewy! And a little crispy outside. The chicken and vegetables inside didn't fill up the whole mochi, but they were well seasoned and balanced out with the chewy wrapper. I have to admit that they are more delicious than they look.
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| Kung Pao Chicken Mochi Balls |
The mochi had a little strong herb flavor, but I'm not sure what ingredients give it that flavor. Celery might be a part of them. I was impressed with the taste of authentic Kung Pao Chicken with special Chinese seasonings.
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| Trader Joe's Kung Pao Chicken Mochi Balls |
Trader Joe's Kung Pao Chicken Mochi Balls were a fun try and I am willing to buy them again. If you are a big fan of chewy texture and Chinese food, you will be satisfied with this product.
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