Young-Jae “Tommy” Chang was born and raised in Santa Barbara, but often visited his family in South Korea, where rice cakes are a traditional staple. Whether here or there, “with each visit and gathering, there would always be rice cakes and mochi for everyone to snack on,” explains Chang. “And during the holidays, my mom would typically make mochi squares laced with seasonal fruits and nuts.”
Inspired by those experiences, Chang threw himself headlong into making his own mochi treats for the greater Santa Barbara community, and started selling them weekly in November under the name Mōr Doughnuts. The rice-flour doughnuts are lighter and gummier than standard American wheat- or potato-flour versions, defined as much by their texture as their flavor. (Mōr currently has no gluten-free options.) I’ve tried the versions made by the Japanese-owned Mochinut in Irvine and the Taiwanese/Indonesian-owned Third Culture in Oakland, both at the fore of bringing these yummies to California. Even though he’s brand new to the game, Chang’s creations more than hold their own against these mochi doughnut heavyweights.
Each week, Chang offers four flavors that come as a boxed set for $12. Typically, there’s at least one familiar point of entry, such as Fruity Pebbles or the Ferrero Rocher–inspired chocolate-frosted with crushed hazelnuts and some edible gold. And there’s at least one homage to Asian flavors, such as the black sesame or matcha glazed. One recent offering, the churro mochi doughnut, could even be dubbed Mexican-Korean-American fusion.