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Have you ever bitten into mochi ice cream? This glorious treat features small scoops of ice cream delicately wrapped in a delicious shell made from sticky rice. One bite and you are addicted for life.
If you don’t have a shop near you then learning how to make mochi ice cream: this Japanese-inspired treat will come in handy. This way you can enjoy mochi ice cream year round without having to leave the house.
How To Make Mochi Ice Cream
The main ingredient and perhaps the hardest one to find is sweet rice flour (the Mochiko brand is very famous). If you are fortunate to have an Asian market near you then look for Mochiko. If not, it can be purchased online or substituted with any glutinous rice flour.
The sweet rice flour will be mixed with water and sugar to form a sticky dough you can either microwave or steam. If using food coloring it should be added before cooking the dough.
The mochi dough will require kneading so make sure to use corn starch or potato starch for dusting, a rolling pin and lots of plastic wrap.
Of course, you will also need your favorite ice cream. The ice cream should be scooped into little balls that you'll keep in the freezer until you are ready to encase them in mochi. Yum!
The process is a little messy but well worth the results. This helpful video from Honeysuckle Catering illustrates how to make mochi ice cream at home step-by-step:
The History Behind Mochi Ice Cream
Here’s a curious fact: mochi ice cream wasn’t invented in Japan. Instead, it was created by Los Angeles native Frances Hashimoto, a former school teacher turned businesswoman. In the 1970s, Hashimoto left teaching to work at her parents’ Japanese confectionery which specialized in mochi (a small, round, sweet and sticky rice cake) and other delicacies.
However, Hashimoto didn’t bring mochi ice cream into the scene until the 1990s after her husband, Joel Friedman, suggested wrapping small portions of ice cream in mochi. The trend quickly caught on and has been satisfying sweet cravings since then.
top image via luvlymoonbunny/Instagram
