Daifuku (Soft Mochi Filled with Sweet Red Bean Paste)
Local name: 大福
In short: Soft, chewy rice-flour mochi wrapped around a ball of sweet red bean paste, easy to make with a steamer and a handful of ingredients. It takes about 45 min in total and makes 8 servings.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 150 kcal
Soft rice cakes wrapped around a sweet filling, most often smooth or chunky red bean paste, are called daifuku. The dough is made from glutinous rice flour, sugar and water, steamed until translucent, then kneaded briefly and dusted with starch so it can be handled. Eaten fresh, the mochi is tender and pillowy. It hardens within a day, so make only what you can eat that day, with green tea. Strawberry daifuku, a whole berry wrapped in bean paste and mochi, is a popular spring variation.
Instructions
- Divide the red bean paste into 8 equal portions of 30 g (1 oz). With damp hands, roll each into a smooth ball and set aside on a plate.
- Whisk the glutinous rice flour, sugar and water in a heatproof bowl until smooth. Cover the bowl with a lid or foil.
- Set the bowl in a steamer over boiling water and steam for 20 minutes. Stir the dough with a wet spatula until it is sticky and glossy. If you see any white patches, steam for 5 minutes more.
- Dust a tray generously with potato starch. Scrape the hot dough onto it and sprinkle more starch over the top. Let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes, until you can touch it.
- Dust a knife with starch and cut the dough into 8 pieces. Flatten each piece in your palm into a round about 8 cm (3 in) wide.
- Place a ball of bean paste in the center of each round. Pull the edges up and pinch them together to seal, then set the daifuku seam side down.
- Brush off the extra starch with a soft brush. Serve the same day with green tea.
Tips
- Work quickly while the dough is warm, and keep your hands lightly dusted with starch. Cold mochi becomes stiff and hard to shape.
- For strawberry daifuku, press a small, dry strawberry into a flattened ball of bean paste, then wrap it in mochi with the tip showing or hidden.
Questions and answers
Why does mochi get hard?
Starch in glutinous rice firms up as it cools and stales, usually within a day. Eat daifuku fresh. You can soften day-old pieces in a microwave for 10 seconds.
Can I make daifuku in the microwave?
Yes. Cover the bowl and microwave for 2 minutes, stir, then microwave 1 minute more and stir until glossy. Heating times vary with the power of the oven.
Is glutinous rice flour gluten-free?
Yes. Despite the name, glutinous rice has no gluten. It is called glutinous because the cooked rice is sticky.
How long does it take to make Daifuku (Soft Mochi Filled with Sweet Red Bean Paste)?
About 45 min in total: 20 min of preparation and 25 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Daifuku (Soft Mochi Filled with Sweet Red Bean Paste)?
About 150 kcal per serving, with 2 g of protein, 34 g of carbohydrates and 0 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 150 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 34 g |
| Fat | 0 g |
| Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 16 g |
| Sodium | 10 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
