Ichigo Daifuku

Ichigo daifuku is a Japanese dessert with
strawberry and anko.   It is a strawberry coated in sweet red bean paste and then coated again in starchy pastry.  The balls are rolled in corn starch to prevent them sticking together or to your fingers.

This is a commonly available in Japanese bakeries.  We first tried it in a small bakery in a train station in Tokyo.  They're a bit finicky to make because they're sticky but look gorgeous and taste divine.  They are supposed to bring good luck to all those who eat them.

Ingredients

• 6 fresh strawberries, small to medium size
• 150 g (5.29 oz) anko - sweet red bean paste
• 100 g (3.53 oz) mochiko - glutinous rice flour
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) white sugar
• 100 ml (1/2 cup) water
• corn starch

Directions

1. Wash the strawberries and slice off the leaves.
2. Divide the anko in half then separate each half into three. Altogether, there should be six even portions. Roll each portion into a ball.
3. Flatten the ball into a circle and place the strawberry with its tip touching the anko. Gently, mould the anko upwards to completely cover the strawberry. Set the balls aside and cover with plastic wrap over to preserve moisture.
4. Set the steamer on middle-heat setting.  Wrap a clean kitchen towel around the cover as this will prevent water dripping on to the balls.
5. Add glutinous rice flour and sugar into a NON-STICK bowl. With a spatula, stir while gradually adding water. Make sure there are no clumps of rice flour left before steaming the mochi mixture.
6. Place the bowl and dough inside the steamer. Turn the heat up to high and let it steam for 15 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, dust the baking sheet with corn starch and leave the corn starch close by for later.
8. Carefully, remove the hot bowl from the steamer with a towel. Wet the spatula with water to help scrape down the sides and also the bottom of the bowl for the mochi to shape into a ball.
9. Drop the mochi on to the baking sheet then sprinkle some corn starch on top. Coat your hands with corn starch before handling the sticky mochi.
10. Like the anko, twist to separate the
    
    mochi into six even pieces then roll each piece into a ball. Tip: Dab corn starch on the sticky ends to prevent sticking together after each twist.
11. Flatten the mochi ball and dust off corn starch on one side with a brush. Place the anko-covered strawberry on the dusted side then the mould the mochi upwards around the anko. Twist off the mochi at the top to secure it.
12. Refrigerate until serving time.
13. Dust off excess corn starch on the ichigo daifuku with a brush before serving

Bow-tie Calico approves with a tongue lick!