Tweet

Spring is right around the corner. Within a few weeks, we can view some cherry blossoms while having nice Japanese sweets with green tea outside. Today, I want to share a recipe for a Japanese sweet that is perfect for spring teatime.

It is “Ichigo Daifuku,” strawberry covered with sweet red bean paste and rice cake.

This recipe posted on YouTube is very easy and you can make it in microwave. (The video is below.)

Ingredients:

1 cup Mochiko*

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 water

Red food coloring

-For filling-

8 strawberries (small to medium size)

200g (7oz) Anko**

Cornstarch or katakuriko (potato starch) for dusting

*Mochiko is rice flour. You may find it at the Asian/Oriental section in a supermarket.

"petitshoo" some rights reserved. flickr

**Anko is sweet red bean paste. There are two types of anko; smashed and strained. In the video, she uses white anko, which might look prettier in the pink rice cake. You can use more anko for this recipe if you like.

“How to Make Ichigo Daifuku”

Directions:

Wrap a strawberry with some anko and round it into a ball. Make 8 anko balls and set them aside.

Add 1/4 cup of water into Mochiko in a microwave safe bowl. While stirring, add the rest of water. Add sugar and red food coloring. Mix well.

Put plastic wrap over the bowl, and microwave it for 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

Stir well and microwave it another 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

Mix it well. Make sure it is stretchy.

Throw some cornstarch or katakuriko on a plate, and put the rice cake on the cornstarch and let it cool down a little bit.

Cut the rice cake into 8 and wrap the anko balls in a piece of rice cake. Put cornstarch if the rice cake is too sticky.

Serve at room temperature. Green tea is perfect for this Japanese sweet.

This is JAPAN Style!