Soft and stretchy mochi filled with red bean paste filled with a fresh strawberry, a take on Japans Ichigo daifuku aka strawberry mochi!
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What is mochi?
If you aren't familiar with mochi, mochi is a Japanese treat (wagashi) made from glutinous rice. Traditionally it is pound into a paste with water and enjoyed as it is, rolled in flavorings like roasted soybean powder or filled with fillings like red bean paste.
Mochi that has been stuffed with a filling is called daifuku. Daifuku is a name used to describe any Japanese confection made from mochi and a sweet filling.
What is ichigo daifukiu?
This strawberry mochi is a kind of daifuku, known as Ichigo daifuku (いちご大福) in Japanese. These are typically found between winter and springtime in Japan when they use seasonal fruits in their mochi.
Strawberry daifuku is typically made with red bean paste, but you can find it with white bean paste too. You can use whatever you prefer, however, I find white bean paste quite difficult to find overseas.
The slightly tart strawberry works perfectly with the sweet red bean paste and chewy mochi. Trust me if you haven't tried this you're seriously missing out! And now you don't even need to go to Japan to try it!
Ingredients
- Red bean paste: You can use homemade or storebought red bean paste in these! Making red bean paste is quite time-consuming and it's pretty easy to find pre-made red bean paste in any Asian grocery so I recommend doing that!
- Glutinous rice flour: Aka sweet rice flour. If you have access to shiratamako where you live I highly recommend using that! It's a Japanese glutinous rice flour made from short-grain rice (mochigome). Otherwise, you can use mochiko or Thai-style glutinous rice flour which can be found in almost all Asian grocery stores.
- Granulated sugar: Aka white sugar, is used to sweeten the mochi dough as well as give it a softer texture.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps to thicken the mochi dough as well as give it more structure.
- Whole milk: Milk is used to hydrate the dough as well as add extra fat and protein to the dough, this results in a softer mochi with a smoother mouthfeel. If you want to make this dairy-free you can replace this with water.
- Pink food coloring: I love the look of the pink color in these, but you can omit this if you'd like.
- Vegetable oil: Kneading vegetable oil into the dough not only makes it softer and chewier it also makes it easier to handle as it'll be less sticky.
- Strawberries: I recommend finding some large strawberries that will fit perfectly in your mochi for the perfect strawberry mochi!
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does this last?
Mochi is best the day they are made as the dough is the freshest. Fresh mochi dough is always softer and chewier. Store any leftovers in an airtight container and it'll last up to 2 days at room temperature.
You can store them in the fridge if necessary, but I find that the skin gets firmer and isn't as chewy in texture.
Where can I find red bean paste?
You can find red bean paste aka anko at most Asian grocery stores. There are two places you might find it, either with the flour and baking goods, or in the canned section with the beans.
There are also two kinds of red bean pastes that can be found: tsubuan and koshian. Tsubuan is a coarse paste made from whole red beans. Koshian is a smooth paste made by sieving out the skins of the red beans.
It's up to personal preference as to what kind you use, so choose your player and get making!
How do I make my own red bean paste?
If you can't find any red bean paste you can always make your own.
Follow the red bean paste recipe found in my red bean sesame ball recipe here! You'll need to triple the red bean paste to make enough for this recipe.
Can I make mochi vegan?
If you want to make this mochi vegan or dairy-free feel free to replace the milk with water.
The milk gives the mochi a softer, more tender mouthfeel, but without it, the mochi will still be soft and chewy!
Why is my mochi hard?
There are a couple of reasons why your mochi might be hard:
- Not enough liquid was used (i.e. milk)
- The mochi was overcooked
- The mochi has been left out for too long
Let's Get Cooking
If you liked this recipe make sure to leave me a comment and rating down below, I would love to know how you went. Also don't forget to tag me on Instagram @catherine.desserts so I can see and share your desserts.
Follow me on facebook, pinterest, youtube and tiktok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy caking!
Print📖 Recipe
Strawberry Mochi Recipe
Soft and stretchy mochi filled with red bean paste filled with a fresh strawberry, a take on Japans Ichigo daifuku aka strawberry mochi!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 Mochi 1x
- Category: Asian Dessert
- Method: Easy
- Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients
Red Bean Paste
- 600g Store-bought or homemade red bean paste (21 oz)
Mochi
- 200g Glutinous rice flour (1 ½ cup)
- 65g Granulated sugar (⅓ cup)
- 40g Corn starch (⅓ cup)
- 360ml Whole milk (1 ½ cup)
- Pink food coloring
- 1 ½ tbsp Vegetable oil
Assembly
- Corn starch or potato starch, for dusting
- 8 large strawberries
Instructions
Red Bean Paste
- Roll the red bean paste into 8 equal balls
Mochi
- Combine the glutinous rice flour, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, and whisk to combine
- Add the milk and food coloring, and whisk until smooth
- Cover the mochi mixture with cling wrap and microwave for 2 minutes on high
- Uncover and stir
- Then re-cover and microwave for another 2 minutes, the mochi dough should be semi-translucent
- If the mochi is still slightly liquidy/milky re-cover it and microwave at 1-minute intervals until cooked through
- Allow the mochi to cool enough to handle
- Add the vegetable oil and using gloved or oiled hands knead until smooth
- Prepare a baking tray lined with baking paper
- Divide the mochi into 8 equal portions and place on the baking sheet.
Assembly
- Prepare a shallow bowl with cornstarch
- Using oiled or gloved hands flatten a portion of mochi between your palms and place a ball of red bean paste in the center
- Bring the edges of the mochi together to enclose the red bean paste and roll it into a ball
- Dust the ball in cornstarch and repeat with the remaining red bean and mochi
- Dust off any excess cornstarch from the mochi balls and use scissors or a sharp knife to make a cut at the top of each assembled mochi
- Trim the strawberries and place, trimmed side down into the incision
- Enjoy!
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