Here in the UK, we love an imported treat.
Japan’s desserts are particularly in vogue right now, with the nation still head over heels for Japanese cheesecake and mochi while M&S sells its limited edition strawberries and cream fruit sandwich inspired by a common convenience store snack in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Along with knowing their way around hospitable toilet setups, the Japanese are understated kings of the dessert world.
Budget supermarket chain Aldi has cottoned onto this – because of course it has – and taken the bold step of combining a classic Japanese treat with a TikTok-trending treat from the Middle East.
That’s right, Aldi has just launched Dubai-style chocolate mochi. The treat combines mochi’s small, soft, pounded sticky rice dumpling and ice cream filling with the pistachio-filled chocolate treat from Dubai that has gone gangbusters via social media.
Ideal for after-dinner treats or as a little indulgence when you’re repeatedly browsing the contents of your own kitchen, these little hybrid desserts are sure to be a hit.
Aldi has an extensive mochi lineup already, but this one – filled with pistachio ice cream and featuring crunchy Kataifi pastry along with a sweet cocoa dough – could outperform all the others.
Not only are they on-trend, but these Dubai-inspired mochi balls could ride a wave of soaring ice cream sales.
Aldi said in a press release that its ice creams sales have already leapt by 25% year-on-year as Britain endures some truly sweltering heat, so it’s safe to assume Aldi’s got a mochi-shaped windfall in its sights.
You can pick up a pack of the Dubai Chocolate Style Mochi in packs of six for £3.99, with the product hitting shelves from 14 July 2025.
Aldi’s been busy with new product launches recently, with these special mochi following hot on the heels of a new Kombucha beverage priced at £1.69.
Kombucha is a nutritious drink with a sour kick that’s full of bacterial cultures that can shore up your gut microbiome and support your wider health, and this new Aldi range from The Juice Company looks like a particularly tasty set in passionfruit, ginger and lemon, and wild berry varieties.
Aldi has already dipped its toe in the Dubai-style chocolate hype, too, with its Aldi Dubai Chocolate Bar launching in June at £3.99 for a 100g bar. Shoppers reportedly dubbed that stuff as ‘absolutely amazing’, which bodes well for the new mochi option hitting shelves on 14 July.
Featured Image Credit: Smith Collection/Gado / Contributor/Getty ImagesTopics: UK Food, News, Social Media
Rachael Davis