The last time I went to Kaimuki Grill — for shoyu hot dogs, of course — I found out the eatery was selling something new.

It’s called Maffles — a dry mix that makes mochi waffles.

Yes, mochi waffles.

Yet another combination of two things I love.

So naturally, I had to try it out.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with mochi, it’s a Japanese rice cake made of a short-grain japonica glutinous rice. It’s typically pounded into paste and eaten during special occasions like New Year’s.

Unless you’re me. And you eat it all the time.

Maffles is basically a mochi mix that you drop into a waffle iron.

There are a bunch of recipes online — usually called “moffles” — where you place mochi batter into a waffle iron to get that crispy-chewy combination.

Or you can use these mixes instead.

So here’s how it works.

You need the following:

1 1/2 cup of the Original Maffles mix
1/2 cup milk (We used skim)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
Powdered or granulated sugar

Combine all the ingredients and mix for about a minute. (If you measure out the 1 1/2 cup of mix, though, you will have about a quarter-cup leftover. So you can use the entire 8-ounce bag.)

Mix everything together. It will be sticky — not like a waffle batter.

Get an ice cream scoop and take enough dough to make a small ball. Roll the ball in sugar to coat the outside. (Note: the sugar will make it difficult to clean your waffle iron. It’s possible to add the sugar coating after you bake the maffles.)

Drop the ball into the center of the waffle iron — we used one that makes Belgian waffles — and press down the lid. Cook for about a minute or until the maffle is crispy brown. One bag makes about five or six waffles.

The verdict: At first, I kept expecting waffles. It looked like waffles, I thought it would taste like waffles. But it’s mochi, and once I got that in my head, I couldn’t stop eating it. It’s really the best of both worlds. You get the chewiness of mochi with that crispy crust of waffles. Love it.

Maffle Mix, comes in Original, Banana and Coconut. Each 8-ounce bag cost about $6 each. Buy Maffles at Kaimuki Grill or Don Quijote.