Mochi Ice Cream

Daria Souvorova

2 hours active, 12 hours + rest
makes: 10-60 mochi ice creams (dough recipe is for 10)

Cute! That is the best way to describe these lovely, colorful balls of deliciousness. I love ice cream, but hate it dripping down my hands as I try to finish off my cone. Mochi ice cream are a perfect solution! Imagine grabbing ice cream with your fingers! How great is that.

Mochi are a quintessentially Japanese dessert, however, it is very much loved in Hawaii. Hawaiian mochi is filled with local flavors like mango, guava, and passion fruit (locally known as liliko’i). I decided this was the perfect dish to end our Hawaiian-Japanese fusion meal.

It can be easily made with store-bought ice cream, but I wanted to make some special flavors for the evening. I made Matcha Ice Cream for the authentic Japanese flavor, a Passion Fruit Ice Cream and a Mango Ice Cream to bring in the Hawaiian harvest, and a Raspberry Ice Cream because that is Nico’s favorite.

I make a quick and easy ice cream that does not require an ice cream maker, all you need to do is freeze it and its ready to go! Simply whip up a pint of heavy cream until soft peaks form mix in a can of sweetened condensed milk and about a cup of fruit pulp (or 2 tablespoons of Matcha). I found that 1/4 of the recipe of each makes about 15 mochi ice cream.

It is easiest to make the mochi dough 10 at a time, the ingredients below are listed for 10 so multiply them according to your needs.

Ingredients:

• Ice Cream:
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup fruit pulp
• Mochi Dough (makes 10 – make 10 at a time for the easiest procedure):
• 1/2 cup sweet glutinous rice flour
• 1/2 cup cold water
• pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• cornstarch, as needed
• 1/2 teaspoon of matcha if using

1. 1. 1. For the ice cream: Whip heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form.
      2. Add in sweetened condensed milk and fruit pulp.
      3. To expedite the process, I lined an egg carton with plastic wrap and poured about 2-3 tablespoons of cream into each indent. If you are using pre-frozen ice cream, just use a small scoop to scoop out circles and freeze them.
      4. For the mochi dough: Stir rice flour, sugar, and water until smooth.
      5. Cover in plastic and microwave for 2 minutes. The dough should be thick and sticky.
      6. Dump onto corn starch dusted counter and gingerly flatten, it will be hot. Flip regularly, constantly adding more cornstarch as needed, and roll out to 1/8 inch thick.
      7. Use a large biscuit ring to cut out circles and wrap around a frozen bit of ice cream. Seal the edges and cut off any excess, there will be less excess if using a round piece of dough instead of the traditional square. 
      8. It works better while warm, however, you can place the dough back in your bowl and microwave for another minute and re-roll.
      9. Repeat with more dough until you have covered all of your ice cream bowls.
      10. Refrigerate for another hour or two and then defrost a few minutes before serving.