I'm kicking off my last recipe for the year, and it's Japanese Mochi Ice Cream! If you don’t know what a mochi ice cream is, then you are missing out! It's made from a thin layer of mochi and filled with ice cream. And the best part is, you can choose your favorite flavor of ice cream to fill these up! This is a simple and easy to make dessert that everyone can enjoy.
What is mochi?
Mochi is a Japanese sticky rice cake, and it can be eaten in different ways. You can eat it plain or filled. Sometimes you can find it in soups or in savory dishes. Mochi can be eaten at any time of the year. In Japanese tradition, they eat it to celebrate the new year. Japanese believe that eating mochi can bring strength and good fortune. To make mochi, the Japanese use a technique called mochitsuki. This technique is a two-person job. One person uses a mallet to pound, while the other turns the rice cake over. The steamed sticky rice is pounded until it is a smooth paste. You’ve probably seen many videos on this, it’s pretty satisfying to watch!
Eating mochi ice cream on New Year’s is a tradition that my husband and I started when we first started dating. We had this idea that making mochi ice cream would be a nice twist to the traditional method. I know what you're thinking. It's easier to buy these at the grocery store. BUT! I do think that this is a nice way to spend quality time with your loved ones.
Pro-tips:
- Make sure to keep your kitchen cold, as you are working with ice cream.
- Don’t be stingy with your cornstarch/potato starch. Mochi is very sticky. So use a generous amount and keep adding if needed.
- Work with one mochi ice cream at a time, or you’ll risk melting all your ice cream balls!
- Try not to handle it mochi and ice cream too much. You can set it down on the work surface as you seal the mochi. This will keep the ice cream from melting quickly.
If you tried this recipe, let me know in the comments below! Rate it! Share and tag me on Instagram @flouredframe. Happy New Year!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Mochi Ice Cream
Equipment
- Small cookie scoop
- Silicone cupcake liners
- Rolling Pin
- Parchment Paper
- 3 ¾-inch - 4-inch Round cookie cutter
Ingredients
- 115 grams Mochiko sweet rice flour
- 52 grams Granulated sugar
- 177 grams Water
- Vegan ice cream of your choice
- Potato starch or cornstarch (for dusting)
Instructions
- First, pre-scoop your ice cream. Line each silicone cupcake liner with plastic wrap and scoop one ball of ice cream into each liner. Place it in the fridge for 2 hours to set.
- Next, in a medium-sized microwaveable bowl, whisk together the Mochiko flour and sugar. Slowly pour in the water while whisking at the same time. Mix until fully combined. Clean the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and microwave for 40-45 seconds. Carefully remove the bowl from the microwave and stir it with a whisk. Clean the sides of the bowl again with a wet rubber spatula. Cover and microwave it again for 40-45 seconds. This time, take a wet rubber spatula to stir the mixture together. Cover again and microwave for 30 seconds to finish cooking. The color of the mochi should change from white to almost translucent.
- Take a large piece of parchment paper and liberally dust it with cornstarch over a large work surface (this is very sticky and the cornstarch will prevent it from sticking). Place your cooked mochi on top of the dusted parchment paper. Also, dust the top of the mochi and your rolling pin.
- Roll out the mochi to a ¼ inch thick, making sure to dust it with cornstarch if it starts sticking. Carefully transfer the mochi to a baking pan and chill it in the fridge for 15 minutes until the mochi is set. While you wait, cut out 8 square pieces of plastic wrap and set aside. Remove the mochi from the fridge and with a cookie cutter, cut out 8 round pieces of mochi.
- For this part, you will have to work with one mochi ice cream at a time. The ice cream must be frozen before working with it. Take one round of mochi and dust off the cornstarch. Then take 1 ball of ice cream and place it in the center of the round. Fold all the sides over the ice cream, quickly cover with plastic wrap, and twist to close. Place the mochi back into the cupcake liner and freeze it for a few hours. Allow the mochi ice cream to soften a bit before serving. Enjoy!
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