Mochi ice cream is one of the sweet snacks in Japan that is made out of ice cream and mochi which is glutinous rice flour. The tira is a very special dessert where there is a very thin layer of rice cake which makes the texture all the more soft and with the chewy feel of it due to the ice cream stuffing. Some of the unique popular flavors include matcha flavor which complements perfectly the taste of mochi therefore making it perfect for anyone who wants to try innovations in textural interactions.
What is mochi ice cream; how is it prepared, and what makes this Japanese dessert so special tasting and feeling?
Mochi ice cream is an ice cream covered in a glared smooth and elastic dough that is prepared from glutinous rice flour. They make a rice dough that is sweet and then roll the dough, cut the rolled dough into circles and then wrap the circles round scooped portions of ice cream. One of the peculiarities of ice cream is the combination of qualities: cold and crunchy ice cream is complemented by soft and warm mochi dough. The pairing of the two produces a lovely dining pleasure, of conventional Japanese sweetness from mochi and twist of contemporary American creaminess from the ice cream.
Ingredients and Preparation
To make homemade mochi ice cream, you’ll need the following ingredients:
1 cup of glutinous rice flour or also known as sweet rice flour.
2 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch or any starch you have at home to avoid sticking.
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup water
Vanilla extract for flavor
Any preferred flavor of ice cream ( green tea, vanilla, azuki bean, lychee and many more).
Kitchen aids such as parchment paper, a zip lock plastic bag for storing food and a plastic wrap.
In Preparation of the Ice cream balls
Scoop the Ice Cream:
Spoon the mixture one at a time using a small ice cream scoop in the formation of the balls. Put each scoop of the ice cream on the piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and place them again into the freezer for at least 2 hours. This assists the ice cream balls to remain firm when it comes to wrapping them with mochi dough.
Making the Mochi Dough
Mix the Ingredients: In a microwave safe bowl, I take glutinous rice flour, add sugars and water that must be warm or hot depending on the recipe. Stir until the ingredients in the mixture are well mixed and the mixture is smooth. For flavoring you may add few drops of vanilla essence.
Microwave the Dough: After that pour the mixture over the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap, microwave it for 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula mix the contents once more and microwave the bowl for another 60 seconds. This process should be done until the dough is thick and sticky with a clear glass like appearance.
Dust the Dough: Use cornstarch or potato starch to dust any flat working surface so that your clay does not stick to it. Turn dough out on a surface and knead with your hands and roll with the rolling pin to a thickness of twenty seven millimetres.
Cut Circles: Take a plain cookie or biscuit and using it or a similar utensil flatten the dough and make circles slightly larger than the ice lollies. Sprinkle some cornstarch on the top of the dough to avoid issue of sticking.
Wrapping the Ice Cream
Prepare for Wrapping: Put parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Picking doughs up one at a time, place the circle of the dough on that parchment paper while working as fast as possible.
Add the Ice Cream: Put one ice cream ball onto the centre of the dough. Enclosing it, fold the edges of the dough in order to cover the ice cream and make it whole shaped again. It is also important to use a plastic wrap in the making of the mochi ball as it will assist in the formation and as aset Type of glue. For a better cover, arrange the mochi ice cream and then wrap it and put back into the freezer again for about one hour so that it will set.
Repeat: Do the same thing to the rest of the dough and the balls of ice cream.
In the following sections, we have listed some important tips which will definitely help you in getting that perfect mochi ice cream every time.
Work Quickly: Ice cream is very soft and melts easily thus do not hesitate to make many movements when wrapping the dough around the ice cream.
Use Starch: Make sure you dust your work surface and hand with cornstarch or potato starch so that you do not have issues pulling the dough off your hand/ surface.
Customize Flavors: Mochi ice cream can be prepared in different flavor such as green tea, bean, lychee and so on. It is important to add annatto for colour or tapioca syrup for increased chewiness.
Have a nice time eating your own mochi ice cream.
As soon as the mochi ice cream has been allowed to firm up in the freezer it can be eaten. The outer layer consists of mochi or chewy rice while the inside is filled with ice cream that makes it mouth-watering to consume. It’s best to serve it at parties so that people can bring a taste of Japan to their event in the form of Mochi ice cream and in particular daifuku.
Storage and Serving: Mochi ice cream should be kept in the freezer and it can stay there fresh for about a week. However, when it is time to eat the porridge one should bring it to room temperature for a minute or two to get the right texture.
Flavor Ideas and Variations
Mochi ice cream is versatile, and you can experiment with different flavors: Mochi ice cream is versatile, and you can experiment with different flavors:
Matcha: The addition of matcha powder will give the ice cream flavor that is characteristic of Japan.
Red Bean: Red bean paste can be eaten or used as a filling like the traditional red bean paste.
Lychee: Quenching and very unique in terms of taste hence great especially for the summer season.
The texture of this recipe yields it to be tender and moist while having a chilly middle. Mochi ice cream is a great dessert featuring the Japanese culture that can easily be enjoyed at home. No matter if you’re going to prepare it for the first time or if it’s going to be the second time, this recipe will work well.