Strawberry Stuffed Mochi (Ichigo Daifuku) いちご大福

These ichigo daifuku are the tastiest little Japanese treats: soft, chewy mochi stuffed with a velvety red bean paste and a juicy tart strawberry. Vegan and gluten-free.

WHAT IS ICHIGO DAIFUKU?

Ichigo is Japanese for strawberry and daifuku means small stuffed mochi. I adore mochi and these are my favorite variation: with each bite you get the soft chewiness of the dusted mochi, the velvety red bean paste, and a juicy tart surprise from the strawberry inside.

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE ICHIGO DAIFUKU:

• fresh strawberries
• anko (sweet red bean paste)
• sweet rice flour
• water
• sugar
• matcha powder, for the matcha variation
• cornstarch or potato starch

HOW TO MAKE ICHIGO DAIFUKU:

• Rinse and hull the strawberries, and pat each dry.
• Take about a tablespoon of red bean paste and flatten it in your palm, then wrap it around the strawberry to form a ball, leaving the tip of the strawberry uncovered. Repeat with the other 5 strawberries, and place in the refrigerator to set.
• In a heat-proof bowl, combine the rice flour, sugar, water (and matcha powder, if using), and stir to combine. You can either steam or microwave the mochi to cook it; I’ve found the latter is the fastest. Simply cover bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and microwave in three 1-minute increments, stirring between each time until the mochi is thick and slightly translucent.
• On a clean work surface, sprinkle a generous amount of starch to prevent sticking. Turn the mochi onto the surface carefully, it will be very hot. Coat your hands with additional starch, and stretch out the mochi, then cut into six equal sized portions with a flat knife.  Flatten each piece into a circle, and place a red bean paste ball (strawberry tip down) in the center of the mochi. Bring edges together, pinching securely to close.
• Repeat for the rest of the strawberries. Enjoy immediately!

TIPS FOR MAKING ICHIGO DAIFUKU:

• Smaller strawberries work better for this recipe. You’ll be wrapping each strawberry twice and the daifuku can grow quite large.
• The key is to work quickly when encasing the strawberries with the mochi before the dough has a chance to cool and firm. Dust your work surface and your hands generously with starch to prevent sticking.
• To see a video demonstration of how to make this, head to my Instagram stories (I have the series saved in my story highlights under “mochi”).

VARIATIONS:

• I made two versions: the green is matcha and the dusty yellow is made with coconut sugar. For a pink mochi, simply add a few drops of food coloring to the mochi, or use natural food coloring like freeze-dried strawberry or raspberry powder.
• You can also swap out the red bean paste for white bean paste (shiroan). It’s made from white beans instead of red adzuki and has a milder flavor.

If you made this recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and a rating below. Or tag me on Instagram @hannah__chia, I love seeing your re-creations!

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📖 Recipe

How to Make Sweet Red Bean Paste (Anko)

ingredients:

• 1 cup dry adzuki beans
• 1 cup sugar (brown, coconut, or white sugar will work)
• water
• pinch of salt

stove-top instructions:

Soak adzuki beans overnight in water. Rinse and place in a large pot, and pour water to cover the beans 1-2 inches. Turn the heat on high and bring to a boil, then turn off heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Discard this water (it is often bitter) and drain beans, then add fresh water and bring to a boil again. Turn down the heat and let simmer for 1-2 hours until beans are completely soft and smushed easily between the fingers. Strain the beans, turn the heat to high, and stir constantly, adding the sugar in three separate increments.

When the mixture is thickened enough so that you draw a line and see the bottom of the pan for 1 seconds, add salt, remove from heat, and transfer to a food processor. Run the processor until the mixture is smooth, about 1-2 minutes (don’t worry if the paste is thin, it will thicken more as it cools). Transfer to a container and let cool in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Store leftovers in an air-tight container.

instant pot instructions:

Put the azuki beans in a strainer and rinse in running water until water is clear. Drain beans, then transfer to the Instant Pot and add 3 cups of water. Cover and lock the lid, and set to 35 minutes on MANUAL or the Bean/Chili button. Let the pressure slowly release by itself for 15-20 minutes, then drain beans in a sieve. Add back to the Instant Pot and press the Saute button, setting it to low. Add sugar in increments, stirring constantly.

When the mixture is thickened enough so that you draw a line and see the bottom of the pan for 1 seconds, add salt, remove from heat, and transfer to a food processor. Run the processor until the mixture is smooth, about 1-2 minutes (don’t worry if the paste is thin, it will thicken more as it cools). Transfer to a container and let cool in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Store leftovers in an air-tight container.