Ichigo Daifuku (Strawberry Mochi)

I usually get the red bean Daifuku from Sun Moulin at Isetan Scotts Supermarket. The sweetness of the red bean paste is just right. But for those of you who would like to make some of your own, here's the recipe from Happy Home Baking! There is also an online tutorial on how to make the daifuku!

Ingredients:

(makes about 8 ichigo daifuku)

- 8 small strawberries
- 160g red bean paste
- 100g mochiko (glutinous rice flour)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 120ml water* (original recipe uses 100ml water)
- some katakuriko (potato starch) for dusting

Method:

1. Rinse, dry, and hull the strawberries. Roll red bean paste into 20g balls. Flatten each ball into a small disc and wrap with one strawberry. Keep in fridge.
2. Mix glutinous rice flour and sugar together in a heatproof bowl. Add water and stir to dissolve. (*Original recipe calls for 100ml of water, but I added more as the mixture was too dry, unlike the one shown in the video demo.) Cover the bowl with heatproof cling wrap or a heatproof plate/cover. Place in a steamer and steam over high heat for 15 minutes.
3. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Dust generously with potato starch. When the mochi is ready, stir it with a wet heatproof spatula till smooth and transfer it onto the prepared baking tray(the mixture will be very sticky, I could hardly stir it). Sprinkle the mochi with potato starch, dust hands with potato starch and pat the mochi to flatten it slightly (the mochi is still hot). Use a pastry scraper or a knife to cut it into 8 portions.
4. Take one piece of mochi, flatten and stretch it into a round disc, dust off any excess potato starch. Place a strawberry (Step 1) in the middle, with the tip side facing down and wrap the mochi around it by pulling and stretching the mochi. Pinch and seal the seam.
5. Repeat the same with the rest of the mochi. (Note: Work briskly as the mochi will get less flexible as it cools.) Leave the daifuku at room temperature for an hour to set before serving. Daifuku tastes best on the day it is made. If there are any leftovers, cover and store at room temperature.