Daifuku
March 4th, 2009
Stumble it!
I first encountered daifuku at one of my favorite restaurants in Western Massachusetts, Fresh Side. In their deli case were these cute little white and green pillow-looking desserts, sitting behind a hand-written card that said: Mochi (vegan).
I ordered one and when I bit into it, it was such a surprise. First, the texture! It’s like a dense marshmallow, chewy and soft. Sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. Next, the filling. Beans. Beans? Beans. This particular mochi was fillied with a sweetened red bean paste, also called anko, and I think it was the first time I had ever had sweet beans. And it was really good!
Now, if I understand correctly, mochi is a catch-all term for a sweet dessert made with glutenous rice flour dough. It can be baked, wrapped around ice cream, eaten plain, or filled. Filled mochi, like the ones I’m blogging about today, are called daifuku.
Anko is one of the most common fillings, but many people also use berries. Strawberry filled ones are very popular in the spring, and they’re called ichigo daifuku. Whole raspberries also work, and sometimes people include a white sweetened bean paste (as opposed to red) known as shiroan.
Now what if I told you that I made these in the microwave?
I know!
Really.
I was skeptical, too. The microwave in my house is pretty much reserved for reheating leftovers. When I decided to make these, I was sort of shocked that all the recipes online called for nuking the dough. What’s more, they were pretty unclear about how to tell when you’re dough is ready. Microwaves seem to vary so much in power, 3 minutes in one microwave is very different than 3 minutes in another. But I decided to give it a go, and not only did it work, but it was really, really easy. If you are able to find pre-made red bean paste, you can make this whole recipe with only a microwave and just a few minutes.
So not only do you not need a kitchen for these (hello dorm-living vegans!), they’re also gluten free (hi celiacs!), soy free (hi soy…allergic lovelies!), fast (hi lazy people!), customizable (hi picky people!), and did I mention CUTE? Traditional colors are white, green, and pink, but food coloring isn’t required if it grosses you out. Matcha (green tea powder) is a natural and delicious flavoring that makes the mochi green.
Now the one thing you absolutely need, no substitutions, is mochiko. It’s glutenous rice flour, and no other flour will work for this. You can find it easily at any asian market.
Also make sure you have some cornstarch or potato starch handy, the dough is very sticky!
Daifuku
Makes 10-12 Filled Cakes
1 Cup Mochiko
1/4 Cup Sugar
2/3 Cup Water
2-3 Drops red or green food coloring, optional
Cornstarch or Potato Starch, for dusting
Filling Ideas
Anko (store bought or recipe below)
Strawberries
Raspberries
Anko
Makes enough for 3-4 batches of daifuku
1 14 oz Can Adzuki Beans
1/2 Cup Water
1 Cup Sugar
1 Tbs Vegetable Oil
1-2 Pinches Salt
Heat water and sugar separately until boiling and sugar is dissolved, turn off heat. Drain and rinse beans.
Add to a pan and mash. Add 1/3 cup of the simple syrup you just made, along with salt and vegetable oil, and mash over medium heat. Beans will thicken and become slightly glossy. Add more syrup if desired. Turn out into a bowl and let cool.
Making the Mochi
Add the mochiko, sugar, water, and food coloring (if using) to a microwave safe bowl. Stir well, making sure there are no lumps. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as best you can with a rubber spatula, otherwise they’ll get all gross when the dough is microwaved.
Cover lightly with plastic wrap and mircowave for 2 minutes. Remove bowl from the microwave and stir VERY well. Dough will be much thicker, but there should still be some raw parts underneath. I like to use a sturdy silicone spatula to mix the dough at this point. Place the dough back in the microwave for 1 more minute.
Open the door and peek–did the dough start sinking as soon as the door opened? If so, the dough was inflating while cooking, which means it’s ready. If not, microwave for 1 more minute and check again. You shouldn’t have to microwave for more than 4 minutes total (2 minutes initial cooking, 2 more additional minutes after mixing).
One the dough deflates when you open the door, remove the dough from the microwave and scrape it out onto a cornstarch-coated cutting board.
Pat the hot dough (be careful! It’s hot!) with cornstarch and flatten it out a little. Cut into 10-12 even pieces. Add 1 tsp of filling to each piece and gently press the edges together to seal.
Here’s the whole process in a little HD video for you to watch! No sound, so don’t worry about turning down the volume if you’re at work. The video starts right after I took the dough out of the mircowave and dumped it onto the cutting board.
Making Daifuku on Vimeo.
The best way to keep these fresh is to individually wrap them in plastic wrap and then refrigerate. If you leave them out, unwrapped, they’ll get dry and tough. Enjoy!
122 Comments Add your own
1. marika @ madcap | March 4th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
I can’t wait to try this – I absolutely love anything with red bean paste, and these look so adorable and cute and delicate – beautiful photos!!
2. marika @ madcap | March 4th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
The video looks great!!
3. Luciana | March 4th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
These are so cute. I didn’t know how easy they were to make. My mom put sugar in my beans to get me to eat them when I was little, so I’m sure I’ll love these.
4. Kate | March 4th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Hi. I love mocchi! Awesome pictures and instruction. I can’t wait to try it!
5. Diana | March 4th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
I love that you made mochi! In Hawaii that’s the very first thing we made in home ec class, in fact I think everything we made was in the microwave. I don’t really like the bean paste, my favorite mochi filling is ice cream. I’m not vegan so I don’t know if there’s a good vegan ice cream but you might want to try that. You just have to prescoop the little balls of ice cream and freeze them really hard, then freeze again as soon as you get the mochi wrapped around it. So good!
6. DJ | March 4th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
These look so adorable! And yet another easy to follow recipe – brilliant!
7. Chris @ Beyond Ramen | March 4th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
OMG! I adore Fresh Side! And I go to Amherst College! Wow I can’t believe you’ve visited the area!! (For some reason this online coincidence is very exciting to me, if you couldn’t tell).
Great post. I also enjoyed one of their daifuku mochi the other day and it was as good as I’ve had in Japan. One correction, though: daifuku means “great luck,” but only describes the red bean-filled mochi. The others are usually just called strawberry mochi or chocolate mochi – you get the idea. And you’re quite right about the Mochiko; all the Japanese recipes I’ve read call for it, without substitutions.
I’m so glad you tried the microwave version because I went through the trouble of steaming it and making a huge mess (and blogging about it too), so it’s good to hear the microwave does a great job in about 1/10th the time.
Wow, still very cool to know you have been to Fresh Side. And if you’re ever in the area, hit me up!
Hey Chris! I graduated from Mount Holyoke in 2005, so I spent four years living in the pioneer valley, and I miss it! I’ll probably be back there for web comics weekend, so if you’re going, let me know! I’ll definitely be stopping into fresh side for pad thai. And thanks for the clarification on the daifuku/mochi point. :) Take care!
8. jill | March 4th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Oh! I didn’t know they have those at Fresh Side! Yum!
I made them with mango and tea over the summer: http://www.heythattastesgood.com/2008/09/mochi.html
I’ve gotten them in Chinatown filled with peanuts and covered in coconut, but my favorites are the big ones filled with fresh juicy mango. Yuuuuuum.
9. Alison | March 4th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
aww man, I was so excited to see you tweeting about this – but I don’t have a microwave! I’m checking out the steamed version over at Beyond Ramen, but it looks kind of messy. Good thing I live around the corner from a local market that carries these. So tasty and light!
10. Shelby | March 4th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Mmm, this is so cool! I love the pastel colors =)
11. Melinda Baughman | March 4th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Thanks for the recipe. I’m always looking for new ways to use adzuki beans! I didn’t know about Fresh Side and look forward to checking it out when I’m next in Amherst. Do you know about Tofu A Go-Go in Greenfield, MA? It’s my favorite restaurant in Western MA. Well, that and Hope & Olive, but Tofu us 100% vegetarian. Check them out!
12. Laurie | Your Ill-fitting Overcoat | March 4th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
I love that you included a video! So helpful! I might make these this weekend…
13. vegantickles | March 4th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
When I make mochi, I also use the microwave, but I learned from my dentist ( who is Japanese-American ) to use a silicone bundt pan to make the mochi easier to release and cut into individual pieces. Your’s look GREAT. All your stuff always look great. I just noticed that you are on a Japanese food kick. Tempura, then mochi…..I wonder what’s next.
14. Bianca- Vegan Crunk | March 4th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Ooh, I love the mochi squares! And I’m a huge fan of anything stuffed with sweet red bean paste. I’ll look for that flour when I’m at the Viet Hoa (my local Asian grocery) next time!
15. Vanessa | March 4th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Oooo. I like the video.
16. Tea | March 4th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
I absolutely love the video! Great thing to incorporate with photos.
I love your blog!
17. Celina | March 4th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
I thoroughly enjoyed this post! The lovely images (great colors and lighting!), wry humor (“Hi celiacs!”), and instructional video combined to make a fine blog reading experience and very informative post.
Mahalo! :) CQ
18. Ashly | March 4th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Whenever I got home to visit my parents in FL, I go to a little place called Faith and Chocolate that sells these with ice cream in them. They’re called Bubbies, and I would give anything to be able to find them here. I LOVE the mochi part of the dessert, and am so excited to have found a recipe for the outside.
Do you happen to know a site that would describe how to do these with ice cream? Or something similar? I’m not a vegan so I’m not concerned necessarily with whether it is “real” or soy ice cream.
Thanks so much for this!
Hi Ashly! I’d fill them the exact same with for ice cream. Use a melon baller to scoop the ice cream, fill the mochi, then put the filled mochi back in the freezer until you’re ready to eat!
19. Emily Keough | March 4th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
I’m from western Mass and go to that restaurant all the time. How weird! Next time you’re in western Mass, check out Cafe Evolution in Florence (about 15 mins from Amherst)… it’s completely vegan and has everything from super fancy entrees to nachos to amazing deserts and pastries (Sunday brunch is my favorite).
20. Kat | March 4th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
This is one of my favorite treats, ever. Thanks for the recipe. Is there a way to do it without the microwave? (Steaming?)
21. laci | March 4th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
Wow, this is so interesting! I am definatly for exotic flavors (I personally believe many vegans are more daring when it comes to their food, horray!) such as matchta, but never have I tried a sweet bean cake- filled with anko and berries!? So cool! These are so pretty and simple… could you get the gluten rice flour at a healthfoods store or whole foods? Thanks, great recipes as always! :)
22. JD | March 4th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Sounds good, but no microwave. Is stovetop an option?
23. Meg | March 4th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
Mmmm… this brings me delicious childhood memories.
24. Gina | March 4th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
I know its not even close to the same, but it reminds me of the shave ice they sell in hawaii with the adzuki beans on the bottom.
25. olivia Horvath | March 4th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
oh my god! i was just trying to figure out how to veganize these the other day. i love them! thank you so much for the recipe!
26. jessie | March 4th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
thanks so much for the video – they really help me out a lot. i’ve never even heard of these things before, but i’m quite excited to try them!
thanks for all the beautiful recipes, btw – i check back almost every day, but i never post a reply… just wanted you to know that you have yet another dedicated fan :)
27. michelle | March 4th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
Mm, never thought of using ice cream for this.. sounds good. :)
To the sans-microwave people:
My grandmum makes varieties of these for breakfast (called kueh). but she doesn’t cook the dough first – she mixes the dough, pats out and fills each kueh/daifuku, then steams them.
She uses a bit of warm water to make the dough, so (if I remember right) the dough is still kind of raw when she puts the filling in, and not quite as sticky as it would be if you had already cooked it (so maybe it’s easier to work with? Not sure — maybe Lolo already tried this way though, and it doesn’t work as well?)
To cook them, she puts them on a lightly oiled plate and steams them in a wok for ~8 minutes or so. They come out glistening and delicious. :)
Re-steaming also works if they are a bit dried out, or if you want to heat them up again. I think they get a bit tougher if you resteam them multiple times but they still taste good… serious!
I guess this method would not work so well with ice cream filled daifuku though… :(
28. Eliza Domestica | March 4th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
This is amazing! I love mochi, especially in ice cream. This looks so easy to make! thanks for the inspiration.
29. Alison | March 4th, 2009 at 11:51 pm
Oh thank you! I love these to and I haven’t had any in almost 10 years. Can’t wait to try the recipe!
30. Philippa O | March 5th, 2009 at 12:24 am
oh i really wish i liked these, they are so cute, but i just can’t handle the texture. my friend described them as a cross between an earlobe and a… part of a guy’s anatomy begining with s… and i just can’t get that image out of my head!
ps i’m so sorry for sharing that with you!
31. Jodye | March 5th, 2009 at 1:35 am
I had mochi once at a sushi bar in california, and have been curious about making them ever since. Thanks for the recipe, it looks terrific!
32. Deadra | March 5th, 2009 at 2:16 am
OMG I had to come out of lurkland to thank you! I’ve been wanting to learn how to make red bean and mochi is so yummy. I’m going to make this, like tomorrow!
Whoo hoo!
Oh I’ve made several of your recipies, they all come out so wonderfully!
33. Kristen's Raw | March 5th, 2009 at 3:33 am
What a super fun post. I love the pictures and the descriptions for how these can fit into various lifestyle. Precious!!!
Cheers,
Kristen
34. Alexandra | March 5th, 2009 at 4:04 am
My favourite filling for these is black sesame paste…oh it’s lovely! I think I’m gonna have to go get some after work now…
35. Lena | March 5th, 2009 at 4:08 am
Also, for those of you who don’t want to sweeten adzuki yourself, you can buy prepared anko in cans or pouches at an Asian grocery. (Both mashed and whole.) Some people will eat just that with ice cream.
I have never liked anko (my parents love it) but I love mochi… and I was sad to find that ichigo daifuku do have anko in them as well, but it’s okay cause the strawberries are so good. XD
I end up eating kinako mochi and the like a lot, since I’m just not a fan of filled mochi. (Also, where I’m from (the Hokuriku region), we don’t refer to all filled mochi as daifuku. Some we just refer to as “mochi”… but I’d be hard pressed to tell you where the line’s actually drawn.)
If you make mochi a lot, a mochi maker is actually pretty awesome. Put in the mochi rice and water, and later you have fresh mochi! Great for New Year’s.
Also, you MUST try mochi broiled. Take a hunk of mochi (I’d say around half an inch thick) and either grill it or broil it in a toaster oven. It’ll puff up, when it gets golden it’s done. Eat with sweetened soy sauce or whatever else you desire. Man, now I’m making myself hungry.
36. Sarah | March 5th, 2009 at 4:17 am
Yes! I used to live in Japan and these (along with ichigo daifuku – frozen strawberry covered in ice cream and wrapped in mochi) were my favourite convenience store snack! I’ve checked at my local Japanese store here in London and the commercial ones all have gelatine or other non-veg ingredients so I haven’t eaten these in years. I’m definitely going to try making them after your post!
As far as I know ‘mochi’ refers to the rice and is traditionally cooked and pounded in a wooden drum at the annual mochizuki festival. The sweets themselves are also called mochi. I distinctly remember attending the festival in my little rural Japanese town and even giving a speech! All the children of the town were there and we made and ate anko mochi and also another flavour that was covered in a brown powder – I forget the name. We didn’t make it but black sesame mochi was also a favourite!
37. snerfu | March 5th, 2009 at 4:54 am
Question: “they’re also gluten free (hi celiacs!)”
glutenous rice flour? how are they gluten free?
Leslie, below, is right! It’s not actually gluten in the rice, it’s just called glutenous to denote the fact that it’s sticky.
38. Leslie | March 5th, 2009 at 6:32 am
Re: snerfu…it’s the quality of the rice – it’s “glutenous.” Very gooey, sticky rice that likes to hang together. No actual gluten, though!
39. WheatFreeMeatFree | March 5th, 2009 at 9:37 am
I love the pastel colors. The owner and manager of a store I used to work at were both Korean, and they would frequently bring in treats that were filled with red bean paste. It’s so tasty! I never thought of making it myself, but I clearly should since it’s so easy.
40. Roxy | March 5th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Oh my goodness I LOVE mochi! I’ve eaten something similar to this in Hawai’i.
I’ve been watching your blog for about a month now and it’s the only blog with recipes I TRUST. Every other vegan recipe I’ve tried has turned out tasting like carob flavored cardboard.
41. Sylvain | March 5th, 2009 at 11:33 am
Veux-tu m’épouser? ;)
42. Juniper | March 5th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
I love daifuku and have been making it for months based off recipes off the web. It’s so quick and easy that it’s what I generally make when I’m craving a sweet. I’m going to try your method of pressing then cutting the dough. It looks a lot easier than what I currently do, which is try to free a glob of dough from the spoon for each daifuku.
Love the pics!
43. Alisa - Frugal Foodie | March 5th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Those came out perfectly. They look like a fun Easter treat with the colors. Must try.
44. Jada | March 5th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Aside from the deliciousness factor, these are, perhaps, the most pillowy desserts I have ever seen! Adorable!
45. Livin' Veg | March 5th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
I’m so going to make these this weekend! Thanks for the simple recipe. What a great sweet snack to have out for guests!
46. rachel | March 5th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
i love how the cute little mochi look against the pink background! yay for cute treats.
47. Rachel Cotterill | March 5th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
They’re adorable! :) I do like the sweet red bean paste, haven’t had any for ages.
48. Rita | March 5th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
I used to eat those all the time as a child, and another type with the same bean filling, but a different dough, less chewy. It’s lovely, thanks for sharing the recipe, and for bringing back childhood memories for me…
49. vegan on stage | March 5th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
my boyfriends mother buys these at the korean market all the time… arent they amazing!
50. toontz | March 5th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Your video is a great addition to this recipe. Thank you.
51. GLH | March 5th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
thank you!
first off, i went to amherst college about 10 years ago and fresh side was my little escape. i used to sit on the futon they had in the window, order my mushroom rice and tea, and sit there for hours. the owner was so sweet and i always thought of it as my little hideaway. i’m glad to hear it’s still there!
second, my husband is obsessed with mochi, especially after a trip to japan a few years ago. he always wants me to make them but i never knew how. until now…won’t he be surprised tomorrow when i break out these bad boys!
i’m so glad i found this site :)
52. Marianne | March 6th, 2009 at 4:04 am
Those are quite adorable :)
53. Ed Coffin | March 6th, 2009 at 6:07 am
These look so yummy! I remember the first time I had one, I was like okay, what the heck is this?!
54. Crista | March 6th, 2009 at 10:03 am
that looks sooooo good!
55. yoel | March 6th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Thank you! Great childhood memories! I didn’t realize the dough was cooked before it was formed into the separate pastries. I seem to remember filling raw (or maybe partially-cooked) dough and then steaming them. Korean ones for holidays are often filled wtih a sweet sesame seed mixture. So good!
56. Heather | March 6th, 2009 at 11:41 am
OMG! You just made my day!!!
I lived in Belchertown, and my husband and I used to go to Fresh Side for those little tasy morsels all the time. Now we live in Salem, and I crave them all the time. I cannot thank you enough for sharing this recipe!!!!
57. RaeRae | March 6th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
holy cats!! these look amazingly good… i’ve been addicted to Mochi for years, so i’ll definitely need to try these out.
thanks! :)
58. stephchows | March 6th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Seriously cute!! And so easy! I need to make a trip to the Asian mart ASAP… plus I”m out of edamame, so I’m glad I saw this before I went! :)
59. VanessaisSleeping | March 6th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Oh, these look fantastic! I graduated from Mt. Holyoke in 2005 also (holy small world!) and we still make the trip to Fresh Side. So delicious! I’ve heard of peanut butter filled mochi (I wonder if chocolate peanut butter would be good…)
I’m going mochiko hunting this weekend!
60. GLH | March 6th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
ok, just made these. can we say “the easiest things to make”!? the only thing was deciding exactly how to cut them. i think little squares are the best. i just tried to avoid having too much dough on the bottom after pinching it all together. you also need to work pretty fast or the dough will get a little brittle and dry. luckily here in san francisco we have a japantown with a great market and i found the bean paste all ready to go! i look forward to experimenting with different flavors. thanks again, you rock!
61. Ashly | March 6th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
Ok, I have what may be a stupid question regarding the rice flour. Is Mochiko the brand? I have some white rice flour in my cabinet and am wondering if that is ok, or if it has to be “mochiko”– or again, whether that denotes a brand name or what.
Sorry for the Captain Obvious question– I just wanted to make sure before I ran in search of Mochiko, which may not be as easy to find where I am.
62. Nityda | March 8th, 2009 at 8:41 am
I used to live in Japan and I absolutely adore daifuku; it reminds me of my Okinawa days! I never thought to make it at home. Cannot wait to try it out.
Kudos!
63. jennifer | March 8th, 2009 at 11:35 am
I love these things, and I never would have imagined that they would be easy to make. I’m going to try it out, thanks for sharing this recipe. In these sweet pastel colors wouldn’t they be a fun non-traditional Easter treat?
64. Delyla | March 8th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
I think I may know a special little boy who might like to try making, playing with and hopefully eating this dough. Especially if I could make it purple! :)
65. michal | March 8th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
man, i love mochi! there’s a fantastic mochi shop in LA’s little Tokyo *if you’re ever around”. my favorite filling is peanut butter and honey (for the non vegans – i’m sure agave nectar can make a good substitute): 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter + about three tablespoons of honey/agave nectar. blend together, fill and enjoy!
66. Livin’ Veg » &hellip | March 9th, 2009 at 7:37 am
[...] week I saw a delightful looking recipe on Veganyumyum for Daifuku. I’ve had Daifuku before and have always enjoyed it, so I was thrilled to see [...]
67. Nicole | March 9th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Mmmm, Fresh Side.
68. Jessica Sokol | March 9th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Fresh Side!!! Whoo hoo! I live in Western MA, LoneWolf is very close by to FS and has a whole vegan breakfast menu, if you haven’t been, its delicious! Love the sweet treats you made :)
69. Zwegowani.pl | March 9th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
looks delicious! it’s amazing – all of Your vegan food! we’re saying hi from vegetarian polish site :)
70. Ashley | March 9th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
I love those! I can’t believe you made them. I by them in Japan Town whenever I’m there. Did you know that some of them have choking hazard warning on them for children and the elderly?! Weird.
71. obscure0bject | March 9th, 2009 at 11:57 pm
Mmm… these look nice! Your blog makes vegetarianism seem so good. Might just go vegan one of these days :-)
72. Ashly | March 10th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
I made them after a frantic (and fruitful) search for the Mochiko; but…. I can’t figure out how to get the ice cream not to melt. :) The pieces need to be larger for ice cream, to get the mochi to close properly.
Thanks for the recipe, Lolo! Even with nothing in these, they are fantastic!!
73. Kyle | March 11th, 2009 at 12:58 am
My favourite Sydney Sushi Bar, Makoto, in Liverpool St in the city, make their Mochi with a fresh strawberry buried in the red-bean paste – yum-oh!
74. Amber | March 11th, 2009 at 2:35 am
yum! These turned out really good. Then it got me wondering what to do with the leftover bean paste. So since my other favorite sweet bean paste treat is steamed buns, I made those too. Check out the recipe for “chinese steamed buns” on allrecipies.com.
75. Lyndsey | March 11th, 2009 at 11:45 am
Mochi Daifuku! They had these in Ham dining hall one night (some cultural event I think) and ever since then I’ve been in love! I tried to make them in Richmond but, well… I’m not much of a cook… so I forgot that beans expand when soaked overnight (that was a big mess) and I used raw glutenous rice flour (in a package where I couldn’t read anything more than that… I think it was from Thailand, which probably counted against it) and it didn’t work very well (that was an even bigger, stickier mess (but tasty))…
I’ll have to keep my eye open for Mochiko. Attempt #2 coming up!
76. vegetalion | March 11th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Ohhh man I love these! I am so impressed that you’ve made your own!
77. Kala | March 11th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Mmmm, must make!
78. Al | March 12th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
great video!!!!!
79. Joanie | March 12th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Absolultely beautiful. Please let me know when your cookbook comes out!
80. Vegan Woman | March 12th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
I absolutely love your food photography! I am going to have to try that recipe. thanks
81. ken | March 13th, 2009 at 1:39 am
thank you so much of sharing how to made these, I always loves mochi ice cream for many years, but never get a chance to made it. Now I can made my own mochi ice cream at home by just stuff the ice cream, yay.
82. Dawne | March 14th, 2009 at 7:26 am
I so much appreciate the diversity of your blog! Thanks for sharing this. I look forward to trying it, as well as possible savory options with the dough as well! : )
83. Katie | March 14th, 2009 at 10:05 am
I just recently had mochi for the first time and loved it so I was thrilled to see this recipe! I can’t wait to try it myself, especially because you’ve made it look so fast and easy. Thanks!
84. sfvegan | March 15th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
I have so been missing mochi since becoming vegan, my fav little hidden sushi restaurant in SF only has them with red bean ice cream. I am so going to try these. Thanks!
85. Laura | March 15th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Thank you a thousand times for posting this recipe! I have loved these sweet soft treats since I was a girl and despaired of finding any with the salty, crunchy peanut filling I remembered from a long-closed asian market near my childhood home.
Now I can make a convincing (and delicious) facsimile myself — and I’m experimenting with natural colors for the dough. Saffron and hibiscus tea have been my starting points, with chunky peanut butter (salt and brown sugar added) or red bean paste and/or strawberries.
Thank you thank you!
Laura
86. erly | March 17th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
I have made my own daifuku several times, my favorite is pineapple.
I made my own bean paste from dried lima beans. This takes what seems forever, but shiro an, or white bean paste, is much more mild than anko. I like to add a little sugar and crushed pineapple to it before making the cakes. So good.
87. Audrey | March 20th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
I love you food, pictures, and recipes. Please post more often. :)
88. Seattle Moms Deal Finder | March 21st, 2009 at 10:53 am
We don’t have a microwave, but this recipe looks awesome. Is there a way to make it without the microwave? Thanks for all your great recipes, I’m about to go make the easy weekend pancakes!
89. Ksenia | March 22nd, 2009 at 3:10 pm
I love japanese culture and I love their food…but japanese ingredients are expensive and difficult to find here =( (there are only a couple of shops in barcelona, an hour by train from where I live) I have never seen there sweet rice flour, but adzuki beans are easier to find, so I think I will try to make anko and just put it over brown rice =)
90. Kristine S | March 22nd, 2009 at 3:41 pm
I Loooooove Fresh Side. I used to go to school up there and would take the 45 min bus ride to Amherst all the time just to go there.
Now, if only you could crack the code for the wheat flour wrap used in their rolls.
And while I’m at it, why is it that different brands of cellophane noodles make for very different textures?
91. jamjarkitten | March 22nd, 2009 at 5:00 pm
I made these today (with slightly cheating peanut butter filling); they are fab and so easy to make! Thank you for posting this – I’d never have thought I could make these otherwise!
92. yummm | March 22nd, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Mine are super duper chewy, I’m not exactly sure why. The last picture up there is not the result of taking a bite out of one of these guys, instead it stretches a bit and deforms the bun. Do you think adding more flour or cooking for longer would fix this problem? In any case, they still taste good. Thanks for the recipe.
93. DJ Karma (VegSpinz) | March 24th, 2009 at 5:07 am
I am lucky to live near one of the most famous mochi-making stores in CA. They make traditional mochi, as well as interesting flavors, like peanut butter filled (both smooth and crunchy)! They’re really good, too!
94. C | March 24th, 2009 at 6:17 am
actually, “mochi” refers only to the thick rice paste that you use to make daifuku ^^
95. asian night. « The &hellip | March 26th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
[...] a japanese confection — mochi (a glutenous rice cake) filled with anko (red bean paste). you can use other fillings, like certain fruits. recipe from here [...]
96. Priscilla | March 28th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
After securing a source for the rice flour, I finally got to try these guys. They were super yummy. I tried to make them orange-colored, but they came out looking like raw chicken breasts. Oops!
Now, on to a technical note, I had to add a lot of extra water to the dough. At least another 1/2 cup to get it to look like the pre-nuked consistency in the photograph. Anyone else have this issue?
Oh and a shout-out to all you Happy Valleyers. Somehow in my time at Smith, I missed out on this Fresh Side place.
97. Kate Horowitz | March 29th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
I miss Fresh Side so much! Those tea rolls were unbeatable!
98. I have invented something&hellip | April 1st, 2009 at 10:46 pm
[...] started to make this daifuku recipe, with strawberries. Fail began when I thought powdered sugar would be a good sub for corn [...]
99. GMama | April 5th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Help! My bean paste is soupy! Will it thicken as it cools?
Oh no! It doesn’t really thicken after cooling. Did you drain the beans well before starting? I’d cook it down a but until it is thicker. Sorry!
100. glucklich | April 7th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
This is so my next project.
101. Mochi and Granola «&hellip | April 7th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
[...] some water, sugar, and a box of mochiko (~ko means like ~flour, ~powder). I got the recipe from Vegan Yum Yum, which has incredibly amazing [...]
102. Jessica | April 7th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
That’s mine, #101. They were really really yummy and I filled them with anko–which I love. I brought some in for the Japanese people at my office who always share their snacks with me. I couldn’t get that perfect round shape you had. I ended up folding mine like little gyoza :)
103. She Mei | April 9th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
wiii! i like mochi!!! i like the ones with peanuts in the middle
:D
104. sad mochi | April 13th, 2009 at 3:55 am
T___T i made these today and failed 3 times. WAAH. back to trial and error. when you put the mochi dough into the microwave for the 2nd time did you cover it with plastic wrap?
Oh no! Why don’t you shoot me and email and describe what’s going wrong, and we’ll try to figure it out together: lolo @ veganyumyum.com. I’m so sorry you’re having trouble!
105. Ron | April 14th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
I can’t afford you guys . Page after page of printing to get 1 recipe !
I do hope that you will at least try to make it better for us that have to budget our ink and paper . And if you don’t correct this horror , well then you leave me no choice , I will pray every day that you gain 10 pounds of fatty weight for every extra , non essential page that my copier spits out for one of your recipes ……
Thank you …… Ron …..
106. Mr Ron | April 20th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Mr ron on comment 105, there’s a thing called File>Print>Print Range>Choose the pages you want to print (example:2-6). You can choose by look at Print Preview.
OR
you can just copy and paste the recipe into a Microsoft Word Document and edit it to your liking so you can print it.
It seems that people are still out of date with technology.
Don’t say mean things just because she can’t ‘correct this horror’.
If a page of recipes has a lot of comments, of course you’re going to print out everything. common sense.
107. Krystal | April 20th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
Without a Microwave? You boil everything (not rice flour) to a rapid boil and then pouring it over the flour and mix it till it has no lumps. It only takes 2 mins if you use ready boiled water…
108. Jelena | April 21st, 2009 at 4:29 am
Hello, I am a gril from Germany (please sorry for some engl. mistakes ^_^) and I just come accros your recipies. Let me first say how lovely your page is! I’m neither vegan nor vegeterian, but the vegan cooking sonds very interesting (it’s a bit like puzzeling ^_- with food, when you want to avoid special ingrediences) and the fotos looks really appetisingly.
Well, I specially write here at the Daifuku, because I’m very happy to find a recipie for this funny “cake”. When I tried a Daifuku for the first time, I couldn’t image what it is made of.
So thank you!
With kind regards, Jelena
109. Daifuku!!!!!!! | Cocinar&hellip | May 11th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
[...] también he aprendido que los Mochi rellenos se llaman Daifuku. La receta original la tenéis Aquí. Daifuku: Ingredientes (para 10-12 piezas) -1 cup de harina de arroz glutinoso. -1/4 cup de [...]
110. Jennidy | June 27th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
OMG I just got back from Kyoto (I live in California) and there were free daifuku samples all over the place. I’ve never eaten so much mochi in my life. Much of it comes from local sweets shops, and most of it is really fresh… Just had to share!
111. Akane | August 4th, 2009 at 10:42 am
Do I really have to use cornstarch? Just wondering if there is a substitute for it ;)
112. Yamimi | August 10th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
Wow! I tried this recipe and it worked very well! Thank you so much! I just wondering if I double the dough quantity I will need to double the time in microwave. I ask you because I’ve separated a small part of the dough to make it pink, but after the microwave it (the pink dough) becomes hard as a rock! What can it be?
113. Yamimi | August 10th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
I forgot to tell you: the pink dough was just around 1/3 of the whole dough! ^^;
114. Alyssa | August 29th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Great instructions, and the photos are beautiful. I can’t wait to try these out!!^^
115. nancy | September 24th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
the timing for microwaving is great! Thank You!
116. trach | September 25th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Hi, are you sur it’s edible when those’re just cooked for about 4 mn ?
117. Breakfasts « A Dail&hellip | October 12th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
[...] because I’m not very coordinated at 5:30, remember?). If you have ever tried making Daifuku, instead of burning your fingers and/or sticking them together with impossible to work with hot [...]
118. aki | October 24th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Hi ! Happen to be here as I search home made graham cracker recipe now ! Wow, I’m really glad because I’m Japanese! and it’s surprising there are so many ppl love Mochi and Daihuku! When I made Shiratama( it’s sort of mochi) for my BF’s daughter few years ago, she couldn’t eat them! lol I thought most of foreigner( well except Asian) didn’t like the texture! Good surprise!
I’m not a vegan but definitly come here again!!Thank you!
119. Isabel | November 10th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Thanks for this recipe! These are hard to find where I live so I’ll definitely be making my own.
One big question, though…
The recipe for making anko calls for water and sugar to be heated separately. What do you do with the water after heated? Do you add it to the heated sugar in order to make the syrup?
120. Deanna | November 15th, 2009 at 1:38 am
I notice some people have said that they’ve had daifuku before but the dough was different, and this might be because you can use one other type of flour for mochi – Shiratamako. I’m not really too sure what the differences are, because I only ever see Mochiko at the korean mart down the street, but eh.
Another thing that’s fun to do is to make the Azuki paste yourself (it’s azuki! ???!). Wash the beans, soak over night, and then start the fun process of boiling and straining and boiling and straining (there’s a recipe over at justhungry.com – search for Tsubu-an). I’ve never tried the store bought kind, but I have tried the commercial daifuku and if you’re like me and you don’t like the tsubu-an to be too sweet you can go ahead and add less sugar if you want.
Anyway! Great idea to put it in the microwave! I’ve been steaming it xD.
Something similar to mochi/daifuku: Dango. Mitarashi dango is my favorite! It has the glutenous rice flour, sweet-salty sauce and it’s very cute. You can even make dango with tofu in it :D.
121. Japan meets Norwegian Chr&hellip | December 10th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
[...] of this is that now that we have a microwave I wanted to try to make mochi. They look so lovely here… I sually like the ones I buy at the Asian supermarkets here, but I am not always such a big [...]
122. Tracy | December 15th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
I had these in japan and they were amazing does anyone know where to find adzuki beans?
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