Mochi / Daifuku

Daifuku is the classic Japanese mochi confection: a soft, elastic wrapper of steamed glutinous rice flour, concealing a filling of sweet, red azuki bean paste – anko. The bite is at once chewy and melting, and the sweetness is delicate and subtle. You make the smooth anko yourself by cooking azuki beans until tender and sweetening them, and you mix the mochi dough from glutinous rice flour, sugar, and water, which you steam or heat until it becomes shiny and stretchy. It requires a bit of dexterity to seal the balls, but the result is a homemade delicacy that beats anything from the refrigerated section.

• Cuisine: Japan
• Time: 1 hour 30 minutes (plus soaking)
• Servings: 10 pieces
• Difficulty: Medium

Instructions

1. Soak 200 g azuki beans overnight. Drain the water, place the beans in a pot with plenty of fresh water, and boil them until tender for 60-75 minutes, until they can be easily mashed.
2. Drain most of the water, add 150 g sugar and a pinch of salt, and simmer the beans, stirring constantly, until a thick, smooth paste – anko – forms. Let it cool completely, and shape it into 10 small balls.
3. Prepare the mochi dough: mix 150 g glutinous rice flour with 50 g sugar, and whisk in 2.5 dl water until the dough is smooth and lump-free.
4. Steam the dough over boiling water in a bowl covered with plastic wrap for about 15-18 minutes, until it is shiny and transparent. Stir it vigorously one to two times during steaming.
5. Generously dust a clean surface with cornstarch. Turn out the hot, sticky mochi, and dust with more starch so it is manageable.
6. Divide the mochi into 10 equal pieces, and flatten each piece into a small circle.
7. Place an anko ball in the center of each circle, and completely seal the mochi dough around the filling by pinching the edges together. Turn the seam side down.
8. Brush off excess starch, and let the daifuku rest for a moment before serving.

Tips

• Use real glutinous rice flour – regular rice flour or wheat flour will not give you the chewy, elastic mochi.
• Work quickly while the dough is warm and soft; if it gets cold, it will be harder to seal around the filling.
• Keep your hands and the surface well-dusted with starch so the mochi doesn't stick.
• You can vary the filling with a small strawberry inside the anko (ichigo daifuku) or use a pre-made sweet bean paste if you're in a hurry.