Matcha Daifuku

We've been addicted to mochi ice cream since we first tried them 24 years ago. Nowadays we buy a variety of sweet filled mochi called Daifuku from the Asian store but mochi ice cream is still our favorite.

I attempted to make these a few years ago but I was not completely satisfied and never made again. With lots of help from web sources, I was convinced to try making them again. This time the texture and flavor were spot on, the mochi is soft and chewy. Delicious!

The following recipe looks very simple but the actual wrapping of filling is mildly laborious. It takes a bit of practice and patience, of course.

Green Tea Daifuku
filling
store-bought or homemade sweet red bean paste

for the cutting board
toasted soybean flour (kinako) or toasted rice flour
sieve

matcha mochi
1 cup glutinous rice flour
½ teaspoon matcha
2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup water

• Shape sweet red bean paste into 1 inch balls; cover with plastic wrap to prevent drying out. 
• Sift some kinako or rice flour on the cutting board; set aside. 

• Make the mochi: In a glass bowl, whisk together flour, matcha, and sugar. 
• Slowly add water and stir until mixture is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes, depending on the wattage of your oven. Stir with a wet silicone spatula, cover, and cook for another 2 minutes or until mixture is thick and translucent. 
• Transfer on the prepared board. Sift more flour on top of mochi and flatten into a rectangle and with a dough cutter, divide into 10 equal portions. Stretch out the sides of one piece, removing excess flour with a pastry brush, and place one ball in the middle. Gather the edges and pinch together. Place  daifuku seam side down on a plate dusted with kinako or rice flour. Let cool completely before serving.

Fresh Strawberry Daifuku
Follow directions for matcha daifuku omitting matcha and increasing sugar to ¼ cup. Wrap a whole small strawberry. You can also dip the strawberry in Nutella before wrapping in mochi.