Daifuku
大福 · daifuku mochi
Soft mochi filled most often with sweet red bean paste. The name means "great fortune," which accounts for its celebratory and gift-like associations. Many seasonal versions feature fruit or flavored fillings.
About this dish
Daifuku is a Japanese sweet built around a soft mochi wrapper and sweet filling, often red bean paste. It belongs to the wagashi tradition, with seasonal versions using fruit and different flavors.
Recipe
Red bean daifuku
- 100 g shiratamako
- 150 ml water
- 50 g sugar
- 200 g prepared sweet red bean paste (anko)
- 50 g potato starch for dusting
- 1
Use 100 g shiratamako; 150 ml water; 50 g sugar and the listed remaining ingredients. Divide anko into 8 balls. Whisk rice flour, water and sugar smooth in a heatproof bowl. Make 8 anko balls of about 25 g. Whisk out shiratamako lumps before steaming.
- 2
Steam the covered bowl 20 minutes, stirring halfway, until the dough is translucent and elastic throughout. Set the bowl above the water. Stir carefully halfway; the dough should stretch with no dry white patches.
- 3
Tip onto a generously starch-dusted surface. Dust the top, let cool just enough to handle and divide into 8 with a dusted scraper. Hot mochi burns: use a scraper until safe to touch. Keep dusting starch outside rather than kneading it into the dough.
- 4
Flatten each portion with dusted fingers, put an anko ball in its center and bring dough around it. Pinch closed, set seam down and brush off excess starch. Stretch the rim, not the base, pinch fully shut and cool to eating temperature. Serve the same day for a soft texture.
Note
The mochi is cooked before filling. Eat the same day for the softest texture; potato starch is a handling aid, not mixed into the dough. Dusting flour or starch is separate from the mixed dough; use only what is needed on the work surface.