Strawberry Daifuku

1Preparation

1. Wash the strawberries, dry them completely with paper towels, then remove the green tops.
2. Divide the red bean paste into 8 equal balls (about 25 g each).
3. Flatten each ball in your palm and wrap it around a strawberry, leaving the pointed tip showing.
4. Dust a clean board or tray generously with cornstarch.
5. Mix the glutinous rice flour and sugar in a small non-stick pot, then add the water gradually and stir until smooth and milky with no lumps.

2Cooking

1. Cook, stirring constantly with a wet silicone spatula, until the mixture turns into a thick, glossy, slightly translucent and stretchy dough that gathers into one mass.

   🔥 low heat⏱ 6 min timer
2. Turn the dough out onto the dusted board and sprinkle a little cornstarch on top.

   ⏱ 1 min timer
3. While still warm, cut the dough into 8 equal pieces with a scraper or knife dusted with cornstarch.

   ⏱ 3 min timer
4. Stretch each piece with your fingers into an 8 cm round, thinner at the edges than in the centre.

   ⏱ 4 min timer
5. Place a wrapped strawberry tip-down in the centre, gather the edges over it and pinch until fully sealed.

   ⏱ 6 min timer

3Serving

1. Turn each daifuku seam-side down and brush off excess cornstarch with a soft brush.
2. Serve whole, or halved with a sharp wet knife to show the strawberry; they are best eaten the same day.

💡 Tips & common mistakes

• Common mistake: leaving the strawberries wet, so the bean paste won't stick and they slide around inside the mochi. Dry them thoroughly.
• Work quickly while the dough is warm — mochi stiffens and becomes hard to stretch as it cools.
• Avoid refrigerating for long, as mochi hardens in the cold. If you must, wrap them well and take them out 30 minutes before serving.

🔁 Substitutions

• White sweet bean paste can replace the red bean paste for a milder flavour.
• You can cook the dough in the microwave: heat 1 minute, stir, 1 more minute, stir, then 30 seconds until translucent.