Make Strawberry Mochi (Daifuku)

Mochi, in which a sweet filling is wrapped in glutinous (sticky) rice dough, is a popular dessert snack in Asia. This particular treat is filled with a fresh strawberry, with an optional intermediate layer of sweet red bean paste. The Japanese term for this confection is daifuku and it's often associated with good luck!

Ingredients
Makes 20 pieces
 * 2 cups mochiko (glutinous rice flour)
 * 2 cups water
 * 1/2 cup sugar
 * 1 can anko (red bean paste - optional)
 * More mochiko, for dusting
 * Whole strawberries, rinsed and hulled
 * Cooking spray or oil, to avoid stickiness

Steps

 * 1) Wrap the strawberries in red bean paste and set aside. (Optional)
 * 2) Combine the water, mochiko, and sugar until smooth.
 * 3) Coat a microwave safe container with oil or cooking spray.
 * 4) Pour the batter in a relatively shallow layer.
 * 5) Cover with an air-tight lid or plastic wrap and microwave for 7 minutes on High or until done. Alternatively, the dough can be steamed for 15 minutes, as shown in the video below.
 * 6) Dust your work area or cutting board with mochiko flour.
 * 7) Pull off a small piece of dough, roll it into a ball, and flatten down.
 * 8) Take a whole strawberry, put it in the center of the flat piece, and pinch it closed so you have a nice strawberry filled ball.

Tips

 * You can also make "taco-shaped" mochi with this.
 * Mochiko can be found in Asian aisles in supermarkets.
 * If mochiko is not available, white rice flour can be substituted. This is usually stocked in the baking aisles.

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to Make Mochi
 * How to Make Mochi Ice Cream
 * How to Make Burmese Sticky Rice Balls
 * How to Make Candy Sushi

Sources and Citations

 * Original source of article, shared by muttoneer, Strawberry Mochi. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 license.