June 2, 2009
Strawberry Daifuku Mochi
A few weeks ago, my friend Estérelle and I attended a mochi cooking class held at La Cocotte, a lovely little cookbook shop in Paris.
Before we go any further, I think a semantics note is in order: strictly speaking, mochi is the name of a Japanese preparation of steamed glutinous rice that is pounded to form a sticky paste*. Mochi can be boiled, steamed, grilled, baked, or fried, and because it doesn't have much inherent flavor, it is usually eaten with sweet or savory accompaniments. Although mochi is traditionally pounded from freshly cooked rice, modern home cooks are more likely to buy it ready-made at the store, or make it from rice flour.
So that's what mochi is, but it seems that many people outside of Japan use this term when they really mean daifuku mochi (or daifuku for short), which are soft mochi dumplings stuffed with a sweet filling, such as red bean paste (anko) or white bean paste (shiroan), served at room temperature and enjoyed as an afternoon treat (rather than a dessert).
I myself only recently learned the difference. When I first tasted (and took a shine to) daifuku in California years ago -- we got them from our local Nijiya market -- I thought of them as mochi, and kept calling them that until the afore-mentioned cooking class taught me otherwise.
Our teacher was Chihiro Tokioka, a Kyoto-born woman who now works as a cook and journalist in Paris. She first had us make dango, little balls of mochi skewered together and served warm, with a sauce or topping that can be sweet, savory, or both. We tasted ours with anko, with a sesame sauce, with a caramelized soy sauce, and with toasted soybean powder (kinako).
We then moved on to daifuku, of which we made two fruit-based kinds: some we filled with a chunk of kiwi wrapped in a layer of anko, others with a similarly anko-sheathed strawberry.
The latter kind, called ichigo daifuku in Japanese, was a revelation: I'd always had daifuku stuffed with a quite sweet, paste-like filling, and this variation took the concept to new heights: underneath the soft, powder-dusted exterior, the chewy-gooey layer of mochi, and the velvet of the anko, lay a juicy surprise that added freshness and a delicate floral flavor to the confection, making it easier on the sweet-o-meter, too.
At the first chance I got, I went out and bought the ingredients to repeat the experience in my own kitchen -- whenever I take a cooking class, I try to make the recipes again shortly after, while the memory is still fresh -- and on Saturday, I made my very first homemade batch of strawberry daifuku.
When I was researching all things mochi online, I read a few comments written by people who didn't see the point of making their own daifuku when they could just buy them at the store. I obviously don't know which store they go to, and how fresh those store-bought daifuku might be, but I'm here to tell you that the glow and bounce of a just-made daifuku is nothing if not worth the trouble.
I still need to work on my daifuku-shaping skills, but the process is a lot of fun and the outcome makes me and the other daifuku-lover in my household very happy, so I will be glad to practice. I might try to make the more classic anko-filled daifuku next time (I understand those can be made in larger batches and frozen, which isn't true of the strawberry ones), and I may flavor/color the dough with green tea powder. I also read that chunks of mango work very well; any other stuffing suggestions to share?
* So sticky in fact that people die every year in Japan from choking on a mouthful of mochi too large to swallow.
Strawberry Daifuku
- 10 small strawberries, about 10 grams (1/3 ounce) each (if your strawberries are large, you can cut them in half)
- 100 to 120 grams (3 1/2 to 4 1/4 ounces) anko* (sweetened azuki bean paste: koshian is smooth, tsubuan is chunky)
- 100 grams (3 1/2 ounces) shiratamako* (glutinous rice flour; comes in granules)
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) sugar
- 150 ml (2/3 cup) cold water
- plenty of katakuriko* (potato starch) for dusting (corn starch can be substituted)
Makes 10 ichigo daifuku. The recipe can be doubled, but these daifuku taste best on the day they're made, so don't make more than you can eat within a day or so.
Rinse, dry, and hull the strawberries. Coat each strawberry with about 2 teaspoons red bean paste. Place the coated strawberries on a plate and reserve in the fridge.
If you have a microwave: combine the rice flour, sugar, and water in a plastic or glass bowl, and stir to dissolve. Cook for 2 minutes in the microwave on medium, stir with a silicone spatula, and repeat once or twice, until the mixture is thick and slightly translucent.
If you have a rice cooker: combine the rice flour, sugar, and water in the bowl of the rice cooker, and stir to dissolve. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stiring once or twice during that time with a silicone spatula, until the mixture is thick and slightly translucent.
If you have a steamer: combine the rice flour, sugar, and water in a heatproof bowl that fits inside your steamer, and stir to dissolve. Place the bowl in the steamer and cover the bowl with a heatproof plate or cover. Close the steamer and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stiring once or twice during that time with a silicone spatula, until the mixture is thick and slightly translucent.
While the rice flour mixture is cooking, pour a generous layer of potato starch in a rimmed baking sheet, and keep more potato starch on hand. When the rice flour mixture is ready, pour it onto the prepared baking sheet; it will be super sticky. Sprinkle generously with more potato starch, pat the dough to flatten it slightly (caution: it will still be rather hot), and use a pastry cutter/scraper or a knife to cut it into 10 even pieces, square or triangular.
Remove the coated strawberries from the fridge. Take one piece of dough, stretch it gently so it will be large enough to envelop a strawberry, and place it on the palm of your hand. Dust the starch off the top surface with a pastry brush, place a coated strawberry in the center, tip side down, and wrap the dough around it, twisting the edges gently to seal into a pouch, and making sure the dough doesn't tear.
Place the daifuku seam side down on a plate dusted with potato starch, and repeat with the rest of the ingredients. The dough will get less flexible as it cools, so try to work at a brisk pace. Save the unused potato starch in a container to use again next time.
Let rest for an hour to set and cool to room temperature before serving. Leftovers should be covered and stored at room temperature, but note that strawberry daifuku taste best on the day they're made, so don't make more than you plan to eat within a day or so.
(Take a look at this video for a demo.)
* Look for anko, shiratamako and katakuriko in Japanese grocery stores.
Prep photos kindly provided by Estérelle.
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~ Strawberry Panna Cotta
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Comments (51)
Permalink | Posted by clotilde in Cookies & Small Cakes - Recipe Inside! - [favorites]
Tickled pink you made these, Clotilde! There's actually a little shop near Nijiya Market that sells all sorts of daifuku mochi - including ichigo daifuku. So cute, the ones you made!
Posted by Anita on June 2, 2009 5:12 PMHummmmmmmmmm... Il m'en faut, là, tout de suite !
Posted by Clea on June 2, 2009 5:43 PMhello Clotilde,
oh you can make even daifuku sound and look something palatable! you know, I'm one of those people in the anti-anko camp :P (then again, ichigo daifuku is not too bad, in fact - although I tend to peel the mochi shell off first, and scrape any anko off the strawberry and mochi!)
while ichigo daifuku is definitely the most common and popular kind in the world of fruit daifuku, we have a whole lot of daifuku filled with other fresh fruits (in addition to kiwi and mango you've already mentioned), such as mandarin orange segments, kumquat, cherry, grape, banana, peach, you name it - but personally, I'd imagine somethig that has a good tartness would work better, to compensate the sweetness of anko.
Posted by chika on June 2, 2009 5:43 PMHehe, ever since I returned from a trip to the Asian market with some packaged daifuku and a box of mochiko my boyfriend has been bugging me to make mochi in one form or another. Now I know it's much easier than I originally thought!
Posted by anna on June 2, 2009 5:45 PMThanks for the semantics note. I too have always called them mochi. Alas, daifuku mochi are delicious. I never knew much about how they were made. Thanks for posting this recipe!
Posted by Sarah (Coffee Beans and Curry Leaves) on June 2, 2009 6:26 PMTu as de la farine, là...
Posted by Ester on June 2, 2009 6:56 PM:-)
Superbes! J'ai très envie de m'y mettre aussi. Je les ai découverts tout récemment.
Posted by Stéphanie on June 2, 2009 7:07 PMMy mother is among those who despise the mochi creature for its chewiness and "I feel like I'm going to choke on it". It did not help when my dad informed her that people die every year in Japan from mochi (but people also suffocate under the kotatsu table and from all the pickles they eat).
My suggestion for a filling is ice cream. Ice-cream-filled mochi is super popular even with those who are unfamiliar with the various forms of daifuku. Also, the ice cream inside can be any number of different flavors from anko to matcha to chocolate, and all of them yummy.
I wish you luck in your daifuku adventures! Next you might try making your own taiyaki, if only as an excuse to buy a fish-shaped griddle. =3
Posted by Luney on June 2, 2009 7:39 PMAt some Japanese food stores and restaurants in the New York area, you can find daifuku mochi filled with ice cream! Amazing texture combo…
Posted by Shantel on June 2, 2009 7:43 PMAnd a cherry mochio, what do you think ?
Posted by Tiuscha on June 2, 2009 8:31 PMMy local Korean grocery store has daifuku with a blueberry filling. It's even more delicious than it sounds.
Posted by Carolyn on June 2, 2009 9:10 PMI don't know how anyone wouldn't like daifuku, but I guess some people are pretty picky when it comes to texture. They're missing out! The first time I tried one, I was startled that something filled with red bean paste was so fantastic. I've since become hooked on red bean ice cream, but that's another story.
Clotilde, I am so impressed that you made these, and that they turned out looking so pretty and pink. Your directions were very clear, but I'm still a little intimidated to try making them :(
Posted by Dallas from Bitchin' Kitchen on June 2, 2009 9:33 PMWhen you were in Silicon Valley, did you go to Shuei-do Manju Shop in San Jose's Japantown? We call them manju here, and Shuei-do ha them with white, pink and green-tea mochi, filled with red or white bean paste.
Posted by Diana Foss on June 2, 2009 9:39 PMOMG... I have made black sesame daifuku before but have always found the microwave method to be less than ideal. Thanks for the variations on preparation! Such a nice addition as most post usually just do the microwave version.
Which is the best? So excited.
Posted by katiek @kitchensidecar on June 2, 2009 9:43 PMI don't have much experience eating mochi and certainly have never tried making it. But your instructions made it sound pretty simple and fun. I'll be sure to try it next time I need a rainy day project.
Posted by Jackie on June 2, 2009 9:49 PMI had never heard of these. they look so good.
Posted by Eralda on June 2, 2009 10:58 PMI remember the first time I ever heard of ichigo daifuku in the early 90's... "a strawberry in a daifuku!?!?!"
Posted by trisha on June 3, 2009 2:02 AMBut the balance is delicate and delish, I agree. But my favorite daifuku is mame daifuku! The saltiness of the peas compliment the sweetness of the red bean paste.
I first tried mochi at Trader Joe's as frozen balls with ice cream inside. I am not a fan of green tea at all but I found myself craving the green tea flavor. Yum! The texture of the dough is addicting!
Posted by sillygirl on June 3, 2009 2:31 AMWhat timing - I just got back from Japan where I discovered mochi for the first time - but in savoury form on skewers wrapped in cheese & bacon. A seriously delicious snack! And now I know I can make this at home - cool!
Posted by curiousbutton on June 3, 2009 4:04 AMYummy!!! J'adore ces bouchées de riz gluant, version salée ou sucrée, mais n'en ai jamais fait. Que dirais-tu de les garnir de framboises?
Posted by Flo Makanai on June 3, 2009 7:24 AMQuelle gourmandise!
I read this and had to make it right away! It was so easy and turned out great; I didn't have the bean paste around, but enjoyed them anyways. I'll definitely make the mochi again soon, especially since I LOVE its chewiness on top of frozen yogurt!
Posted by Lisa C on June 3, 2009 7:51 AMMy boyfriend and I are totally addicted to these sweet little things. I will have to roll up my sleeves and give it a go soon !
Posted by Mélanie on June 3, 2009 9:53 AMMy mother nearly choked on some of this at a local Japanese restaurant, so I had to finish the plate off. I had been wondering what precisely it was ever since, so thank you!
Posted by LB on June 3, 2009 1:13 PMClothilde,
Like some of the other commenters (commentators??), I'm a big fan of ice cream daifuku; green tea, mango, and coconut are a few of my favorites, and pairing different flavors of mochi and ice cream filling could be fun, though I've never attempted it myself.
Thank you for sharing another lovely post!
Posted by Maura on June 3, 2009 1:32 PMI lived for several years in Kyoto, around the corner from a tiny shop selling fabulous ichigo daifuku. It never occurred to me that I could make them at home. Arigato!
Posted by Ann on June 3, 2009 2:43 PMThe wife and I made some last month as soon as we could get our mitts on some gariguettes. Very similar results :) I have a photo of the shaping process... Used a touch of gariguette syrup made the previous day to give the mochi dough a pink color.
Posted by Omid on June 3, 2009 3:03 PMAt a small japanese restaurant in San Francisco I had something like this, but instead of anko they used chocolate. It was such a simple variation, but it tasted sublime.
Posted by Sam on June 3, 2009 4:21 PMAt a store in Japantown in San Francisco, they make a version stuffed with peanut butter! It's always a sellout.
Posted by Julie on June 3, 2009 4:37 PMyummy! Being Japanese and growing up in Hawaii, I always ate mochi of all kinds (sweet, savory, in soups, fried, for festivals etc...). Now that I'm in a small town in Oregon, I have to drive 3 1/2 hours to Portland to get mochi. My daughters and I will have to try out this recipe :) Thanks for sharing.
Posted by Jenni on June 3, 2009 11:15 PMles Daifuku mochi me font penser à ce que nous nommons ici au Québec des "bonbons aux patates" - des pommes de terre en purée avec du sucre en poudre sur lesquelles on tartine du beurre de peanut. On roule la pâte et on coupe en petits bonbons!
Ce n'est pas la meme préparation, mais le résultat est aussi une petite bouchée de feculant avec un coeur sucré...
Posted by Caroline on June 4, 2009 5:54 AMA single marron glacé, perhaps?
Posted by Marina on June 4, 2009 4:09 PMHow wonderful! MY daughter would love this--we always have a stash of mango mochi from TJs for her desserts.
Posted by unconfidentialcook on June 4, 2009 6:51 PMYour blog is super. So are your photographies. They make me hungry. I have spent a nice moment when seeing them. Thanks a lot.
Posted by Eléonora on June 4, 2009 9:12 PMmy mother sometimes uses freshly-ground peanut butter as a filling. she also makes a sweet potato-based mochi and fills it with anko. we coat the outside with a mixture of coarsely-ground peanuts and granulated sugar. mmmmmmm :)
Posted by emily on June 5, 2009 1:38 AMOh lovely! I made these for the first time just a few months ago!
My favorite combination as a kid was a salty-sweet peanut filling. My own imitation of it recently used about three tablespoons of chunky natural peanut butter, a teaspoon or two of brown sugar, and a healthy pinch of salt. Easier to mix if you warm up the peanut butter for a few seconds in the microwave first - and excellent with strawberry bits inside!
I keep meaning to get more sweet rice flour - because I think using a lavender infusion for the water to mix the dough with a lemon curd filling inside would be *divine*.
Thanks for reminding me to stock up again!
Posted by Laura P. on June 5, 2009 1:45 AMClotilde, do yourself a favor and go taste the homemade matcha cream daifuku from the kikoumaru store rue de la Roquette.
a photo on my blog.
so? drooling yet?
Posted by mook on June 5, 2009 12:34 PMClotilde, how about raspberry filled to go with a cup of Sencha or Fig filled to go with a cup of Sobacha (roasted bucked tea)?
Posted by Kate Gover on June 5, 2009 1:21 PMMy boyfriend and I made both plain daifuku and kusa-mochi (the green ones made by mixing powdered yomogi, an herb whose slightly bitter flavor contrasts wonderfully with sweet anko, into the dough). We were happily surprised at how easy it was to create an authentic appearance and taste. I lived in Kyoto for three years and have been in Tokyo now for about 8 months. I'm always interested to read about your forays into Japanese cuisine and I hope you are one day able to visit Japan - it's such an amazing and unique place, I love it here and no doubt you would too!
Posted by Laura on June 5, 2009 3:33 PMA lot of people fill it with peanut butter for (non-allergic) kids. And even nutella.
Posted by justJENN on June 6, 2009 8:20 AMI would suggest poached pears as filling.
we have a local version here in manila that i believe originated from the chinese and is called "buchi" difference is that the dough is prepared raw, filled (usually with red bean paste - similar to anka, yellow bean paste or a ground peanut mixture, but also purple yam or jackfruit puree). then, coated in sesame seeds, then deep fried.
i've actually just bought glutinous rice flour the other day for tomorrow.
Posted by kayenne on June 6, 2009 7:42 PMHow about substituting confiture de chataigne for the anko?
Posted by Rachel on June 6, 2009 9:56 PMsecond the peanut butter. I made it as a kid as part of the arts and crafts class at my Chinese school. so tasty.
Posted by Andrea on June 7, 2009 5:34 AMLooks yummy. I never tasted it and I can't wait trying this.
Posted by Jan on June 7, 2009 10:02 AMClotilde,
Posted by Windrose on June 7, 2009 1:44 PMcould one also use kudzu (arrowroot) powder instead of potato starch?
I brought green chewy balls with some gooey core back home from Japan to serve to my unsuspecting family members - now I finally know that those were green tea daifuku mochi :D. They weren't half bad but maybe a bit bland, with this recipe I could zing them up a bit, thanks!
Posted by kim on June 8, 2009 3:07 PMMy favorite mochi is "sakura mochi" or cherry blossom mochi, named so because it is quite pink, sweet, and wrapped in a young cherry leaf. It's only available in season when the cherry trees are blooming in the spring.
I could get very fat eating those.
Some trivia. In the US we look at the moon as see a man's face, hence "man in the moon". In Japan they look at the moon and see a rabbit pounding rice to make mochi.
Posted by Elise on June 9, 2009 4:22 AMOOh, it looks so good!My teacher has been to Japan...Maybe I should ask him about it!
Posted by Alice on June 10, 2009 5:24 PMa sweetshop in gifu, central japan, has a fruit daifuku which involves a daifuku filled with a lighter anko (beautiful deep purply red), strawberry, banana, a cooked chestnut (lightly sweetened), kiwi and of all things, a layer of whipped cream. they are slightly larger than regular daifukus and puffier. i don't know how they wrap and seal the mochi with such delicate & full fillings but they do, and they are addictively delicious, especially along side a hot cup of green tea. have you tried making your own anko? you can adjust the sweetness to your liking and also choose between ogura (with resemblances of beans still present) or the other--i forget the name--which is simply smooth. yum!
Posted by megu on June 26, 2009 5:13 AMI finally found somewhere where the mochi recipe doesn't call ABSOLUTELY for a micro-wave ;)
I have one question however: do you think it will work with my rice flour that is a fine powder and not granules ?
Posted by Nolwenn on August 5, 2009 7:16 AMNolwenn - The important thing is not so much the consistency of the flour (powder vs. granule), but rather the fact that your rice flour is the glutinous/sticky kind. I've been told shiratamako is the easiest to handle for daifuku, but mochiko works too. Do report back if you try it!
Posted by clotilde on August 5, 2009 10:21 AMOooh!!
ICE CREAM!!!
Yes, I know it might be a little... messy, but if executed properly, it just might work! AND, it's insanely delicious. There's this frozen daifuku with ice cream in it available in the US. It's REALLY GOOD. If you could make that, I just might worship you as a cooking god.
Posted by Lans on December 2, 2009 4:11 PM