Japanese Strawberry Mochi (Ichigo Daifuku)
Mochi is a Japanese dough made from glutinous rice flour (mochiko) that is steamed or cooked in the microwave until it turns stretchy and smooth. The version filled with strawberries and sweet bean paste is known as daifuku, and it can be made at home in half an hour.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Calories
- 180
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Lyzzy assumed (based on copyright claims). — CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Traditional mochi is made by pounding rice in a massive wooden mortar—an ancient Japanese ritual. However, the microwave version using glutinous rice flour yields almost the exact same result in just minutes.
Method
-
1
Prepare the filling
Divide the bean paste into 8 portions, and wash and dry the strawberries thoroughly. Wrap each strawberry with the bean paste until completely covered except for the pointed tip if you would like it to show. Place them in the refrigerator.
-
2
Mix the mochi batter
Mix the glutinous rice flour, sugar, and pinch of salt in a microwave-safe glass bowl, then add the water gradually while whisking until it becomes completely smooth like light cream without any lumps.
-
3
Microwave cooking
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and heat for 1 minute, then stir with a wet spatula. Heat for 30 seconds and stir. Repeat 3-4 times in total until the dough becomes translucent, stretchy, very sticky, and pulls with the spoon.
-
4
Doneness test
Raw dough is white and opaque, while cooked dough is semi-translucent and shiny. If there are still white patches, microwave for another 20 seconds and stir. Undercooking gives a raw flour taste.
-
5
Prepare the work surface
Dust a work surface or tray very generously with cornstarch—mochi sticks to everything. Turn the hot dough out onto the starch and dust more on top, then let it cool for 2 minutes until safe to touch.
-
6
Divide the dough
Divide the dough into 8 portions using starch-dusted kitchen shears or a bench scraper. Flatten each piece into a 10 cm circle with your hands (the starch prevents sticking)—keeping the center thicker and the edges thinner.
-
7
Fill and seal
Place the bean-paste-wrapped strawberry in the center with the tip pointing down, gather the edges upward, and pinch them together with your fingers to seal. Flip the piece over so the seam is on the bottom. Dust off any excess starch with a pastry brush.
-
8
Serve
Serve on the same day at room temperature. Mochi hardens in the refrigerator, so if you must store it, let it come back to room temperature for 1 hour before eating.
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Tips that actually matter
- The dough must look translucent and glossy; a white color means it is still raw.
- Dust cornstarch very generously—mochi sticks to absolutely everything.
- Dry the strawberries thoroughly, as any moisture will cause the red bean paste to slip off.
- Shape the mochi while the dough is still warm; once cold, it firms up and cracks.
- Enjoy it on the day it is made—refrigerating makes the mochi turn hard.
People also ask
Can I use regular rice flour?
No. Regular rice flour lacks the required stickiness and will yield a crumbly dough rather than a stretchy one. You must use glutinous rice flour (sweet rice flour), commercially known as mochiko or shiratamako, which is available in Asian grocery stores.
How do I make sweet red bean paste?
Soak 200 g of red adzuki beans overnight, boil them for 1 hour until tender, then mash them with 150 g of sugar and a pinch of salt over low heat until thickened into a paste. Alternatively, use store-bought canned red bean paste.
The mochi is sticking to my hands—what should I do?
Dust cornstarch far more generously than you think you need onto the surface, your hands, and the dough itself. Keep a small bowl of cornstarch beside you and dip your fingers into it frequently. Also, warm mochi is much easier to handle than cold mochi.
Can I use a steamer instead of a microwave?
Yes, and that is the traditional method: steam the mixture in a bowl placed inside a steamer basket for 20 minutes, stirring vigorously with a wet wooden spoon every 7 minutes. The texture is slightly smoother, but the microwave is much faster and delivers excellent results.
Cook mode
Japanese Strawberry Mochi (Ichigo Daifuku)
-
1
Prepare the filling
Divide the bean paste into 8 portions, and wash and dry the strawberries thoroughly. Wrap each strawberry with the bean paste until completely covered except for the pointed tip if you would like it to show. Place them in the refrigerator.
-
2
Mix the mochi batter
Mix the glutinous rice flour, sugar, and pinch of salt in a microwave-safe glass bowl, then add the water gradually while whisking until it becomes completely smooth like light cream without any lumps.
-
3
Microwave cooking
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and heat for 1 minute, then stir with a wet spatula. Heat for 30 seconds and stir. Repeat 3-4 times in total until the dough becomes translucent, stretchy, very sticky, and pulls with the spoon.
-
4
Doneness test
Raw dough is white and opaque, while cooked dough is semi-translucent and shiny. If there are still white patches, microwave for another 20 seconds and stir. Undercooking gives a raw flour taste.
-
5
Prepare the work surface
Dust a work surface or tray very generously with cornstarch—mochi sticks to everything. Turn the hot dough out onto the starch and dust more on top, then let it cool for 2 minutes until safe to touch.
-
6
Divide the dough
Divide the dough into 8 portions using starch-dusted kitchen shears or a bench scraper. Flatten each piece into a 10 cm circle with your hands (the starch prevents sticking)—keeping the center thicker and the edges thinner.
-
7
Fill and seal
Place the bean-paste-wrapped strawberry in the center with the tip pointing down, gather the edges upward, and pinch them together with your fingers to seal. Flip the piece over so the seam is on the bottom. Dust off any excess starch with a pastry brush.
-
8
Serve
Serve on the same day at room temperature. Mochi hardens in the refrigerator, so if you must store it, let it come back to room temperature for 1 hour before eating.
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