Strawberry Matcha Daifuku Mochi 草莓抹茶大福

This Sunday is Mother’s Day!  How do you celebrate?  I know I’ll be spending time with my family, and I'll likely make some homemade cake and treats as well!  And if you haven’t figured out what to make yet, maybe try this Strawberry Matcha Daifuku Mochi 草莓抹茶大福 recipe!  After all, we are in the strawberry season right now.



Daifuku Mochi or Daifuku, is a Japanese confection (Wagashi 和菓子) consists of a small round mochi (glutinous rice cake) stuffed with sweet filling.  The sweetened red bean paste made from azuki beans is usually a common filling to use.  I’ve shared a homemade recipe of the red bean paste in the past and I’ll list it at the end of the post .  Otherwise, it’s widely available in most Asian supermarkets.   Since it’s the peak season for strawberries now, I can’t help but to incorporate the sweet and juicy strawberries as part of my Daifuku fillings.



In my version of Daifuku, I covered the refreshing strawberry with a layer of sweetened white bean paste, which has a milder flavor compared to the red bean paste.  It’s all encased in a thin layer of earthy match mochi skin for a contrast of colors and flavors.



As you might have noticed, I also topped the Daifuku with edible gold star sprinkles for a whimsical touch.  I’ll link the ingredients used at the end of the post for your reference.  Are these Strawberry Matcha Daifuku gorgeous?  They tasted just as delicious as they look!  I hope you enjoyed today’s blog post and recipe.  I want to wish you a wonderful celebration this weekend and Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms out there!



 


Strawberry Matcha Daifuku Mochi 草莓抹茶大福
Makes: 8 pieces

6 tablespoons glutinous rice flour (糯米粉)
3 tablespoons rice flour (粘米粉)
2 tablespoons corn starch (粟粉)
1 tablespoon matcha powder
5 tablespoons water
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
10 strawberries
1/2 cup sweetened white beans
gold stars for garnish, optional

Flour Mixture for rolling the Matcha Mochi Dough:
1 tablespoon potato starch
1 teaspoon matcha powder

In a small food processor, puree the white beans until smooth. You can also use red bean paste. (here’s my homemade red bean paste recipe: http://utry.it/2013/06/how-to-make-azuki-red-bean-paste.html)

Wash and pat dry the strawberries. Remove the stems and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, sift glutinous rice flour, regular rice flour, corn starch, and matcha powder together, set aside.

In a small sauce pan, add water, milk, sugar, and vegetable oil together. Heat on medium until simmer, stir constantly.

Remove milk mixture from heat and add in the flour mixture all at once. With a wooden spatula, stir until a dough form. Return to medium low heat and cook for another 3 minutes, or until dough is slightly translucent and cooked through. Remove from heat and let dough cool slightly.

Place the dough on a plastic wrap and knead it a few times until smooth. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions.

Cover each strawberry with a tablespoon of white bean puree. Take a portioned dough, slightly dust rolling pin and surface with flour mixture and roll it flat to a 3-inch circle. Wrap the strawberry with the dough and seal the seams. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Dust the top of the Strawberry Daifuku with a little bit potato starch to prevent sticking. Garnish with gold stars and enjoy!