Japanese Recipe: Pumpkin Daifuku

It’s definitely fall – or at least the weird feeling of fall that the Midwest conjures up and then replaces with a quick Indian summer then a harsh, cold winter. Anyway you slice it it’s that time of year for the fall goodies to be popping up in stores.

A personal fave of mine for fall is pumpkin treats. Pumpkin used to only be reserved for Thanksgiving pies but some marketing genius has decided that pumpkin should go into everything! Pumpkin chai, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin spice cookies, pumpkin candles, pumpkin spice paraffin, pumpkin shakes, pumpkin concretes; all are delicious and welcome additions to the season.

My love for pumpkin prompted me to devise a new way to enjoy pumpkin goodness. Scheming away in the kitchen one day, I reached for the pumpkin and opened the cabinet to get the sugar. My eyes fell on a box of mochiko flour and I had a thought; why not combine two loves into one? Why not combine Japanese traditional treats with Western traditional treats!? I came up with the idea for PUMPKIN DAIFUKU after that.

What is daifuku? Well, if you’re an anime fan you’re probably more familiar with the term mochi. Daifuku is a popular Japanese treat composed of a filled, sticky rice cake (mochi). The filling is usually anko, or sweetened red bean paste. Other, less traditional, fillings include ichigo (strawberry), melon, orange, custard, and hazelnut.

The filling for daifuku is diverse and only limited to one’s imagination and cooking ability. If you plan on making daifuku, please, read the recipe through several times before starting to cook. It’s rather messy since the mochiko is so sticky. I modified the mochi recipe from one that I found online. It’s easy to make the mochi if you plan ahead.

Without further ado, PUMPKIN DAIFUKU:

FILLING:

• 1 15 oz can plain pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons honey (optional)
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup white sugar, more or less to taste
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

MOCHI:

• 1 1/2 cup mochi flour (mochiko is available at Asian markets as a box with a blue star)
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup castor sugar (sold as baker’s sugar)
• 1 box of katakuriko (potato starch) for dusting hands and utensils
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• Food coloring (optional)

Some beforehand tips:

1. Dust your hands and utensils often with the katakuriko. You DO NOT want the mochi sticking to anything. This stuff is super sticky so avoid getting it on your clothes or in your hair.

2. Create a daifuku-making space before hand by setting out a large cutting board, a large spatula, a round cookie cutter (I just use a drinking glass), a butter knife, and a bowl filled with a decent amount of katakuriko for dusting. Dust the cutting board, the butter knife and the spatula generously with the katakuriko.

3. Clear out your kitchen sink. Since you’ll be cooking your mochi in a large pot, you’ll need room to fill that bad boy with hot, soapy water when you’re done to prevent the mochi from hardening up in it.

4. Don’t pour unused mochi down the sink. It’ll harden up and give you much grief. Instead, clear out any remaining mochi with a handful of paper towels and pitch it in the garbage can when it’s cool.

5. Use common sense; wait for the mochi to cool enough to handle before you start to work with it.

For the FILLING:

1. Blend all the filling ingredients together well in a medium size sauce pan. Set the heat to medium low and constantly stir the pumpkin mixture for 10 minutes or until the mixture becomes sticky and resembles caramel. Do not overheat the mixture or stop stirring since you might burn it, i.e. make it taste like nasty burnt pumpkin sugar.

2. Line a small cookie sheet with wax paper and drop the pumpkin by rounded teaspoons onto the covered cookie sheet. After the pumpkin has cooled somewhat, roll the drops into balls and pop the cookie sheet into the freezer for about 20 minutes or till the balls are fairly firm.

For the MOCHI:

1. After the filling has been in the freezer for 20 minutes start making the mochi. If you’re using food coloring, combine it with the water at this point, keeping in mind that less is more. If you’re using vanilla extract toss that in the water with the food coloring and stir it really well. Then blend the mochiko, sugar, and water together in a large pot. I used a wire whisk to make sure there weren’t any lumps in the mixture.

2. Heat the mixture on medium low heat, stirring the entire time. Once again; keep stirring and keep the heat low. After a few minutes the mochi will start to pull away from the sides of the pot. Turn off the heat and pour the mochi (I’ve always had to help the mochi out of the pot with the spatula) onto the well floured cutting board.

3. Spread the hot mochi out with the floured spatula. Try to make it an even thickness.

4. Let the mochi cool until you feel it’s comfortable enough to handle. Take the pumpkin balls outta the freezer at this time. Cut a circle from the mochi sheet using the round, floured cookie cutter (upside down drinking glass). If you’re having difficulty prying the circle up from the cutting board, slip the floured butter knife under it and wiggle it free.

5. Flour your hands really well and place the circle in your palm. Take a frozen pumpkin ball and place it in the middle of the mochi circle. Fold the edges of the mochi over the ball until you’ve sealed it in. Pat the mochi gently until it forms a round cake.

6. Dust the cake lightly with katakuriko and place it on a plate. Repeat steps four and five until the filling is gone, remembering to flour your hands and utensils often. You might have some leftover mochi. If you do, raid the fridge for some thick jam and put a dollop of it in the middle of some mochi (at this point, you might not have enough mochi to cut into circles, but I just kinda smoosh some pieces together and that seems to work. It’s ugly, but it works.) Or you can keep it plain and chow down on it that way.

You should have around nine daifuku cakes when all’s said and done. Eat your fill then store what’s left in the fridge for up to a week.

This recipe was for Halloween, but it can just as easily be for Thanksgiving or whenever. I’m giving serious thought to making cranberry daifuku for the holidays . I’ve read online where some people have used chocolate, whole strawberries, and of course, anko as filling. Go nuts with the filling, which isn’t a bad idea!marzipan anyone?

As to rating this recipe, well that wouldn’t be unbiased so I’ll have David rate it.

Rachel: What did you like about the daifuku?

David: The mochi was sweet, but not overwhelming, the texture was good and I liked the festive color. The firmness of the pumpkin filling was nice.

Rachel: What didn’t you like?

David: I liked everything about it, but some people might not like the texture as it’s neither really soft nor really firm.

Daifuku is easy once you know what to expect from it. It’s sticky; expect it to stick to everything. Now, daifuku should be easy!

• Difficulty: Moderate to Hard
• Time: an Hour and some change
• Ingredient Availability: Moderate to Difficult, depending on your locale.

Note: Pumpkin Daifuku is Copyright © 2008 The Anime Blog. Recipe may not be republished without the author’s permission.