Konnichiwa Minna-san!!! Or for those who don’t Japanese, HELLO EVERYONE!!!! Today I decided to do another Japanese dish. I absolutely love Ichigo Daifuku! For those who don’t know it is a strawberry covered in a layer of anko or red bean paste, then covered in a layer of mochi or a sticky gelatinous dough like substance made from sweet rice flour or pounded freshly cooked sweet rice. It is delicious but a bit tedious when making.
For this recipe you will need….
8 Strawberries
A can of Anko or Red Bean Paste (You can find it at your local asian market) (Also make sure you placed the can in the fridge a few hours before using. It will be easier to handle this way.)
Mochiko (Sweet Rice Flour, also found at your local asian market)
A pan
A greased wooden spoon
A tray
Cornstarch
A pastry brush
Saran Wrap
Now, first thing you want to do is clean your strawberries and remove the stems. When you have that done, place them to the side.
Now, open your can of anko and pour the contents onto a piece of saran wrap. Separate into equal portions and roll into a ball. I can normally get eight. You need enough to be able to cover the strawberry.
Now, taking a piece of saran wrap, flatten one ball and then place a strawberry in the middle with the large side down. Gather your saran wrap and pull it up, enclosing the strawberry within the anko, if the anko doesn’t cover it, use your fingers to move it around through the saran wrap until it does. It doesn’t have to be a thick layer, it just has to cover. Twist the saran wrap to keep it closed for now and place in the fridge. repeat with the others.
Ok, now it is time to make the mochi. Using your mochiko, use 1 cup of the rice flour and add 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of sugar. Mix until smooth, cover with saran wrap and place in the microwave. Cook the mixture for three and a half minutes.
When it is done cooking, take it out, peel back the saran wrap and after dipping your wooden spoon in hot water, stir the mixture thoroughly. Replace the saran wrap and cook for another thirty seconds.
Dust your counter with the corn starch. This stuff is STICKY!!! Using your spoon that you have dipped again in hot water, pour the mochi onto your counter. Dust with more corn starch and pat out into a rectangle. WARNING: THIS STUFF IS HOT SO BE CAREFUL!!! Now cut into eight equal pieces.
Taking one piece, roll it into a ball before you flatten it out. Make sure you flatten it out so that you won’t have to do so once you have it on top of the anko. It gets a little tricky from there. Dust off the excess corn starch with the pastry brush.
Now, removing the saran wrap from your anko ball, place it in the middle of the mochi and pull the end together using a pinching motion to seal it. Because the mochi is hot, it should stretch relatively easily. Once you have the end sealed, dust off the extra corn starch and then set to the side with the smooth side facing up. Repeat for the others.
That’s it!! This treat is a bit of an acquired taste but if your willing to try it or like japanese treats enjoy!
Mmm Delicious! 