Japanese Mochi Ice Cream

Mochi Ice Cream (Just One Cookbook — Recipe 3, makes 12 pieces)

1. Gather all the ingredients.
2. Using the cookie scoop, scoop out ice cream into aluminum/silicone cupcake liners. The ice cream will melt quickly so freeze them immediately for a few hours or until ice cream balls are completely frozen solid.
3. Once the ice cream balls are frozen solid and ready, start making mochi. Combine shiratamako and sugar in a medium bowl and whisk all together.
4. Add water and mix well until combined.
5. Microwave Method: Cover the bowl with some plastic wrap (do not cover too tight). Put the bowl in the microwave and heat on high heat (1200w) for 1 minute. Take it out and stir with a wet rubber spatula. Cover again and cook for 1 minute. Stir again, cover, and cook for 30 seconds to finish cooking. The color of mochi should change from white to almost translucent.
6. Steaming Method: Cover the steamer lid with a towel so the condensation won't drop into the mochi mixture. Put the bowl into a steamer basket and cover to cook for 15 minutes. Half way through cooking, stir with a wet rubber spatula and cover to finish cooking. The color of mochi should change from white to almost translucent.
7. Cover the work surface with parchment paper and dust it generously with potato starch. Then transfer the cooked mochi on top.
8. To prevent sticking, sprinkle more potato starch on top of the mochi. Once it's cooled down a bit, spread the mochi into a thin layer with your hands or a rolling pin (apply potato starch to your hands and the rolling pin). A rolling pin is easier to evenly spread out.
9. Transfer the mochi with parchment paper onto a large baking sheet. Refrigerate for 15 minutes until the mochi is set.
10. Take out the mochi from the refrigerator and cut out 7-8 circles with a cookie cutter.
11. Dust off the excess potato starch with a pastry brush. If you find sticky parts, cover with potato starch first then dust off. Place a plastic wrap on a plate, then a mochi wrapper on top, then another layer of plastic wrap. Repeat for all wrappers. With leftover mochi dough, roll into a ball, flatten into a thin layer again and cut out more circle wrappers (about 12 mochi wrappers total).
12. Now form mochi ice cream balls. On the work surface, place one sheet of plastic wrap with a mochi layer on top. Take out one ice cream ball from the freezer and put it on top of the mochi wrapper. Pinch the four corners of the mochi layer together to wrap the ice cream ball.
13. When mochi gets sticky, put some potato starch on the sticky area and seal the opening. Quickly cover with plastic wrap and twist to close. Place each mochi ice cream into a cupcake pan to keep the shape. Work on one mochi ice cream at a time to keep the ice cream frozen. Put mochi ice cream back into the freezer for a few hours. When ready to serve, keep them outside for a few minutes until mochi softens a little bit.

Recipe Notes: Shiratamako and mochiko are glutinous rice flour (sometimes called sweet rice flour) made of Japanese short grain glutinous rice. Do not omit sugar as it helps mochi stay softer. Equipment: 12 aluminum/silicone cupcake liners, a cookie dough scoop (smaller than an ice cream scooper), a rolling pin, a 3.5 inch (9 cm) cookie cutter or round bowl. Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook.

Strawberry Sweet Mochi (Bulgarian variant — Ягодови сладки мочи) I made these mochi for my students, whom I was teaching Japanese, on the last day of their course. I wanted to make them something Japanese and easy, and since I don't have a steamer, I decided to make mochi in the microwave. It was super easy, but I still had quite a bit of trouble with the ingredients — when I got mochiko everywhere (on my hands, on the counter, not to mention my clothes) I realized I'd made life easier for myself.

1. Mix water, mochiko and sugar and stir until the mixture is smooth. Grease well with oil (or spray with anti-stick spray) a microwave-safe dish and pour the batter into it in a relatively thin layer. Cover with an airtight lid or wrap with plastic film and microwave for about 7 or more minutes until done.
2. Put the dough on a surface dusted with mochiko and wait for it to cool.
3. To make the sweet mochi, take a small piece of dough, shape it into a ball and flatten. Then take a little sliced strawberry, place it in the center and close it, pinching with your fingers to get a nice ball with a strawberry filling. Done. I also made some in the shape of a 'taco' for me and the other teachers.

From https://www.justonecookbook.com/mochi-ice-cream/