Ichigo Daifuku!

I love ichigo daifuku!  You can get pretty good stuff from the store, but it doesn't really compare to homemade daifuku.  Ichigo daifuku is simply mochi stuffed with red bean and strawberries.  You could do red bean diafuku or any other flavor you like really.  This video of Cooking with Dog is very helpful.  Remember you need well mashed and fairly dry red bean to cover the strawberries with.



Eating Out Loud has a good straight red bean recipe. Steaming the mochi works really well, but you will need a large steamer.

If you don't want to steam you can also microwave your mochi.  A nice version is at Paws are for Cooking.

Mochi can also be made in a pan and then used to wrap the filling.  The Anime Blog has a good recipe for cherry daifuku that makes just a few, which is nice as ichigo diafuku really needs to be eatten soon after being made or really by the next day.  I've done this recipe with strawberries instead and it is still really nice.

My Lunch Can Beat Up Your Lunch has another pot recipe that works very well for ichigo daifuku.

At this point I tend to combine a bit of all these recipes to get the results I'm going for.  Remember you may need to adjust the amount of liquid you use depending on the weather where you live.  You don't want them to wet or too try and this really makes a big difference on the final outcome.

This is what the cooked mochi looks like before you put it all together.

Caution - super sticky!

Here is some finished daifuku.  It is essential that you dust the outside and your hands while your working.  Else it will be an even bigger mess then it already is!

Not my prettiest batch . . . it took me a bit to get this down at the higher dryer altitude I find myself in here in Edmonton