Tag: tips

Daifuku (Red Bean Mochi) Recipe

written 12/8/24, updated 12/8/24

What

Japanese dessert. It’s mochi (sweet glutinous rice flour), a chewy rice cake, wrapped around a filling, usually anko (sweet red bean paste). Can be filled with other ingredients like mung bean, fresh cut fruit, ice cream, or custard, and colored with powders (such as matcha powder), fresh fruit puree, or food coloring.

This recipe is made in the microwave for ease, but can also be steamed

*See Notes for more details

Ingredients

1 Cup Shiratamako or Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour (*See Notes)

¼ – ½ Cup Sugar (more or less as desired)

1 Cup Water

1 Cup Anko (sweet red bean paste, bought or made)

Katakuriko (potato starch or cornstarch as needed for dusting)

Supplies

Heat-proof bowl

Silicone Spatula

Silicone Whisk

Plastic Wrap/Microwave Cover

Parchment Paper

Baking Sheet/Tray

Time and Serving

Time: 5 minutes combine + 2 minutes microwave + 20 minutes shaping = 30 minutes

Serving: 8 pieces

Directions

  • Prepare your Anko filling
  • On a tray or baking sheet, do the same thing and set aside (this is where you’ll put the formed daifuku)
  • Whisk together Flour (1 Cup) and Sugar (¼ – ½ Cup, to your desire)
  • Add the Water (1 Cup) and combine with the silicone spatula until it forms a smooth batter
  • Cover with either plastic wrap or microwave lid
  • Microwave for about 1.5 minutes
  • Remove and stir well
  • Return to microwave for another 1.5 minutes
  • It should have formed a shiny, smooth dough, a somewhat hard lump, different from the batter from before
  • If not, then return for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between
  • Dust your parchment paper workspace with either potato starch or cornstarch
  • Scrape the dough out onto your workspace (Be careful, it’s going to be HOT)
  • Sprinkle starch as needed to make it less sticky
  • Divide the hot dough into equal portions
  • Roll them into flat disks
  • Put your Anko filling into the middle and pinch the ends to close them
  • Place it seam side down on your pre-dusted tray
  • Continue to make the rest
  • This is best enjoyed right away, or cover and refrigerate up to 2 days

Notes

Clean-Up Tips

  • Soak your bowls and implements in water to help loosen it up
  • Try not to dump the wet flour down the drain if you don’t want to deal with a clog
  • If it’s being stubborn even after soaking, use the silicone spatula to scrape the wet dough into the trashcan

Katakuriko = potato starch

Mochi vs Dango

  • Dango: term for ball-shaped foods
  • While these days the lines have blurred between the two desserts’ ingredients, traditionally, the difference is that Mochi was made from steamed glutinous RICE (grain) and pounded in a pestle, while Dango was made from non-glutinous rice FLOUR, mixed with water, kneaded, then steamed or boiled.
  • Dango is made like boba, where the little balls are boiled

When made the same way (Flour, sugar, and boil little balls) tapioca starch (cassava) will make boba, while rice flour will make dango.

Mochiko vs Shiratamako

  • Both flours are similar to each other but differ in processing
  • Both can be used in other dishes like bakery goods and as thickening agents in savory dishes
Mochiko
  • Ground when rice is dry
  • Less working time until hardening
  • Sticky, chewy texture
  • Stronger flavor
  • Finely ground flour
Shiratamako
  • Ground when rice is wet, then dried
  • Stretchier, even when cool
  • Smoother texture, more delicate
  • Good for refined desserts
  • Coarse, granular textured flour

Dyna-Glo Vertical Offset Smoker Notes

I’ve owned my unit since early 2020 as a newbie smoker getting the cheapest (meaning thin metal, bad joints and seams) smoker I could find and also being the lightest smoker for my elevated deck. After some shoring up of said seams, etc, I’ve kept it around and quite enjoy smoking meats.

Unlike more automated smokers, this smoker requires more attention whilst cooking. Here are some notes for my future reference and if it will help anyone.

Smoking in the winter/cold weather

  • More fuel needed
  • Longer cooking time (almost double or triple depending on the weather) because it’s a fight to increase temps
  • Helpful to have something to help retain heat (e.g. thermal/ welding blanket, large sheets of metal or the like set around the unit to reflect heat back)
  • Smaller charcoal pieces burns hotter and faster than larger pieces for quicker temp increases

Smoking in summer/hot weather

  • Faster cooking time
  • Less fuel needed
  • Helpful to have shade over the unit like a patio umbrella to help with sun-driven temperature increases.
  • More large chunk charcoal (slower burn so won’t drive temps high quickly) than small pieces (burn hot and fast)

Temperature control

  • Closing inlet and outlet will starve the oxygen and decrease temperature
  • Opening inlet and outlet will increase oxygen, increasing temperature
  • Closing outlet and opening inlet can cause creosyte which makes food bitter
  • Opening the outlet and minimizing the inlet causes a vacuum that draws more air through causing temp increase
  • Fully closing all vents puts out charcoal (although that takes a long time)
  • Opening of door or firebox decreases temperature
  • Though not recommended, opening and leaving the door partially closed will keep the temperature from going too high (had to do because I put way too much charcoal in for the summer and I have nothing to store extra burning charcoal in. However, it changes the cooking and taste)
  • Try not to freak out when the temperature goes too high or too low because opening and closing the doors will cause the temperature to be all over the place. Fiddling with the vents will allow the temps to rise and fall more gradually

General Notes

  • Make sure to clean cooking grates often as leftover debris goes rancid, can mold, and affect not only safety of food (smokers operate at low temperatures creating ideal conditions for thermophilic bacteria) but taste of the food too (Blech, sadly, from experience).
  • Lining the bottom of the smoker with foil helps catch drippings
  • The floor of my firebox and under the soot tray are definitely rusty out from rain and moisture, despite use of Dyna-Glo’s cover
  • Built-in thermometer is only an indicator and not accurate
  • Using a water bath can be helpful to keep more moisture in the meat. I place a small foil loaf pan with water on the floor of the cooking side. You can add juice to it, just be careful because it can change the flavor of the meat. I used too much apple cider vinegar once from a recipe and it gave everything a sour taste/smell
  • I also placed a fire brick on the floor of the cooking side because it supposedly helps with more constant heat dissipation? I’ve been using it since the beginning, so I can’t say if it is useful or not.
  • Wood chips
    • I’ve found through time that my family and I don’t like heavy smoke on the food. In my opinion, less is more.
    • Some people rally against it, but I like to soak my chips before use. Has a side bonus of slightly reducing temperature when it’s wet
    • Apple and Pecan have a nice, light flavor
    • Cherry also has a nice flavor, but will give the meat a red color, too
    • Hickory is strong, so less used the better
    • Mesquite is very strong. Less is definitely better. I personally don’t like to use it.
    • My favorite wood chips flavors (the ones I keep going to every time) are apple and pecan.

Useful Items

  • Heat gloves
  • Wireless thermometer with multiple probes
  • Sunglasses/safety glasses (smoke in your eyes is not particularly fun)
  • Foil loaf pan for water bath
  • Weber lighter cubes
  • Chimney starter
  • Large chunk lump Kamado charcoal
  • Normal lump charcoal that contains smaller pieces
  • Metal pail with secure lid to responsibly place charcoal waste
  • Fire bricks
  • Grate scrubber and cleaner
  • Wood chips
  • My safety features:
    • Protective mat under smoker (like an Ember Mat) especially if using on wood deck
    • Heat shield on top of protective mat to protect deck from heat and reflect it back at the smoker
    • Old pans to help catch tiny pieces of burning charcoal when pouring into firebox
    • Mini, round, portable charcoal grill to hold chimney starter
    • Safety glasses
    • Heat gloves
    • Long tongs