What is Strawberry Daifuku! All about This tasty Daifuku Snack!

Mochi is Japanese sticky rice cake that is chewy and delicious! There are so many different ways to eat mochi in Japan. There are savory mochi such as ozoni and yakimochi and there are sweet mochi like mochi snacks, kinako mochi and sakura mochi. They all taste so amazing that not only you can find endless variations of mochi, but they are also becoming more and more popular worldwide.

Among the sweet types of mochi, there is also daifuku, which is often served with green tea in Japan. Although daifuku doesn’t have the word mochi in it, daifuku is one of the mochi that you might be most familiar with. Daifuku is a soft and smooth mochi that is wrapped around a filling, most commonly around anko (red bean paste). But by definition, mochi ice cream is also a type of daifuku.

Even in the world of daifuku there are so many varieties in Japan. One of the most popular varieties is fruit daifuku which has fresh fruit and anko or shiroan (white bean paste inside). You can easily find these in subway stations and department stores with different fruit fillings such as peach (momo daifuku) or strawberry (ichigo daifuku) in different seasons.

But you can also easily make your own version of daifuku with a microwave. What is your favorite fruit of this season? Though we’re making strawberry daifuku, you can easily replace the strawberry with a piece of your favorite fruit instead. We recommend enjoying this Japanese favorite at home with a cup of green tea.

Ichigo Daifuku (Strawberry Mochi)

Makes 8 mochi

• 8 whole strawberries cleaned with stems removed
• ½ Cup white bean paste or red bean paste
• 6oz (170g) mochiko
• 6 Tbsp (75g) sugar
• ½ tsp salt (2g) salt
• 7oz (200ml) hot water
• About 1/2 cup (65g) cornstarch

1. Cover the bottom two thirds of strawberries with a tablespoon of white or red bean paste each. Cover them with a plastic wrap and rest them in the fridge.
2. Mix mochiko, sugar, salt in a medium microwavable bowl. Add in hot water. Mix until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 2 minutes. Pound the mochi using your fist or a wooden spoon until it becomes smooth and stretchy.
3. Pour and spread two thirds of cornstarch on a kitchen counter. Place mochi onto cornstarch and coat it with cornstarch. Divide mochi roughly into 8 pieces.
4. Coat your hand with cornstarch. Place one piece of mochi on your palm and flatten it with your other palm. Put a strawberry onto the mochi, with the tip facing down. Cover the strawberry with mochi by pinching the mochi closed around the strawberry with your fingers. Repeat the process for the rest of mochi.

Share your version on our Facebook group page, Bokksu Unboxed!