Ichigo Daifuku Mochi

Ichigo Daifuku Mochi

Published on 02/03/2016 | In By
    • Prep Time
    • Minutes
    • Cook Time
    • Minutes
    • Yield
    • 12
    • 12 pieces

[google-translator]
Ichigo : 苺(いちご) : Strawberry
Daifuku : 大福(だいふく) : Mochi & Anko

Don’t you think its funny that this recipe is categorised under “Rice”? Its not at all like the rice that you know, but the main ingredient is rice.

Have you heard of Mochi (餅:もち) ? Mochi is a rice-cake, made with a special rice which is called Mochigome (餅米:もちごめ ) . The dry mochigome grain is much whiter, but the shape is the same as other rice grains. It takes much longer to cook.

This Ichigo Daifuku ( いちご大福:いちごだいふく ) is made with mochigome rice powder. There are many varieties of daifuku.

With traditional daifuku the outside is mochi and the inside is anko (sweet mashed azuki beans). Ichigo Daifuku is a modern daifuku, with a strawberry inside.

It hasn’t been so long since this Ichigo Daifuku appeared. It was sensational for the Japanese traditional sweet market (at least for me)! Before this daifuku, strawberries were used only for non-Japanese baking or desserts. I was not sure that it would go well with the anko, but yes, it did.

Oishii ( 美味しい:おいしい ) ! / Yummy! The strawberry’s sour taste goes very well with the anko’s sweetness .

[google-translator]

Ingredients

  • 200g shiratama-ko mochi-rice powder
  • 100g sugar
  • 260ml water
  • Red (or pink) food colouring
  • 12 strawberries
  • 300g Anko (mashed sweet haricot beans)
  • Potato starch as needed for making a mocha-ball

Instructions

  1. Remove leaves from the strawberries, and dry them with kitchen paper.
  2. Make 12 "anko" - balls ( 25g ×12 ).
  3. Make the anko-ball flat on the cling film, put a strawberry on it, then fold and make an anko-strawberry ball. Set aside.
  4. Put Shiratama-ko, sugar and water into a saucepan, put on a medium heat. Stir with spatula till thickened, then add food colouring. Mix well.
  5. Stir until the colour becomes half transparent and very sticky ( be careful that its not burned! ) This will be the outside of the daifuku ; Mochi.
  6. Sprinkle potato starch on a big baking tray , then pour mochi into it and spread out with a wet spatula or spoon (careful, it's still very hot).
  7. Sprinkle potato starch on your hands, take about a 45g "mocha"-ball, and make it into a round shape.
  8. Put the anko-strawberry ball in the middle of the "mochi", then fold and cover with the mochi. Place on the plate with the joined part down.
  9. <Microwave Method> : the method 1-2 are same as above. 3. Put Shiratamako, sugar, water, and colouring into a heat resistant bowl, mix well then cover with cling film ( do not completely cover ). 4. Heart it in microwave for 1min. Mix with wet spatula, then heat it again ( repeat 2-3 times until it becomes half transparent ) . 5. method 5-7 are same as above method.