While I understand that Hanukkah has been made into a bigger holiday than it was ever meant to be, I am happy to make it the big deal that it is not. As someone who grew up in a household that wasn’t Jewish or Christian, I was surprised to discover how lonely I felt and how much I longed to celebrate something at this time of year. Now that I am part of the Jewish fold, I can’t get enough of the holiday celebrations–especially the food.

To symbolize the miracle of the oil that lasted for eight days instead of one, Hanukkah foods are fried in oil. Fried foods can often taste really heavy, so I like to swap out all purpose flour with mochi flour (Japanese glutenous rice flour). This adds a certain lightness to everything from fried chicken, to latkes, to this take on sufiganiyot–the Israeli jelly doughnut enjoyed during the Festival of Lights.

I’ve never had much of a sweet tooth, so I never really cared for doughnuts of any kind. However, when I lived in Japan, I discovered a doughnut I couldn’t stop eating: Mr. Donut Pon de Ring. The Mr. Donut mascot is a lion, so the “pon de ring” shape is meant to symbolize the lion’s mane. These donuts are now ubiquitous and can be found all over East Asia. 

Instead of the classic pon de ring shape, I’ve left them deconstructed as doughnut holes and served them alongside various jams for dipping. This recipe is my dairy-free gluten-free, Jewish interpretation of this mochi doughnut recipe.

Note: this recipe is made much easier with a few special tools:

• Stand mixer with a dough hook (you can mix by hand if you don’t have this, but it’s a bit messy)

• Large frying pan

• Cooking thermometer

• Cooling rack

• Food processor or blender for the jam (if you decide to do this step)

• Digital baking scale

If you’ve married into a Jewish family and decided not to celebrate Christmas, I wrote about my first Christmas as a Jew-to-be here. Check out my mochi latkes with Asian pear and persimmon relish recipe from last Hanukkah here.

Head here to visit our Modern Heirlooms web shop, where I've thoughtfully co-created ritual objects with my favorite artisans (in limited runs) to help you elevate your sacred rituals. 

I truly believe that cuisine is the most accessible gateway into learning more about our rich heritages. In addition to food, there are so many ways to celebrate, honor, and even reclaim, our time-honored traditions. I believe ritual objects really help anchor us in these moments-- especially around the table.