mochi – Bembum Kithcen

Posted on 20 Oct 20222 Nov 2026 by Bembum Kitchen

Rainbow Mochi roll

I grew up eating Mochi and I love it so much! Mochi has always been a delicious source of comfort.

My Grandpa would buy homemade Mochi from the local store. They sold 2 kinds of Mochi, plain and the one that filled with sweet crumbled peanut filling.

Although the contrast of texture between the smooth, supple, sticky outer layer of Mochi and the crunchy peanut fillings is so awesome; plain Mochi is always my favourite.

Roll in a food grade plastic grease with vegetable oil so it won’t get mess in your hands 😬

In this recipe, I am going to show you how to make these Rainbow Mochi Rolls.
It’s basically my favourite plain Mochi, but I tried to make it more interesting 😋

We need only 4 ingredients to make it; colour it, steam and roll it into kinda a Swiss Roll .
They are not only look pretty ☺️ and adorable but also yummy; A beautiful dessert that you can actually make it at home.

TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT FLOUR
It is important to use fresh glutinous rice flour for your Mochi dough, because this kind of flour tends to get mouldy while it’s being stored. If you notice any changes in smell, taste, or texture, don’t use it; make sure to discard it right away.
I highly suggest to use Thailand brand for the best results. Try to find the unbleached one, coz bleached flour will produce a slightly bitter taste and unpleasant smell on your final Mochi.

TO HANDLE STICKY MOCHI DOUGH
Vegetable oil and Potato Starch (or Corn Starch) is always be your best friend.
Because Mochi dough is really sticky, it’s crucial to grease the pan with generous amount of vegetable oil ; I also found that line the pan with parchment paper really helps me a lot when I unmould the cooked Mochi.

You can dust Mochi pieces with a bit of Potato Starch or Corn Starch to prevent stickiness; and then brush off any excess starch so the Mochi doesn’t taste powdery.
If you are worried about eating raw starch, you can actually heat the starch in the pan on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes until it turns slightly yellowish and feels lighter

You also can coat the outside part of Mochi with Desiccated Coconut. I found vanilla create a beautiful flavour combinations with Coconut. If you a coconut lover I highly recommend it.

HOW TO CUT MOCHI
Mochi is very soft and sticky, so to cut it will be a bit tricky. Some people said that the right and easy way is to use string; I’m personally prefer to layer my knife with a greased plastic for a clean-cut.

It’s so adorable, I really can’t STOP to squeeze it ! 🤣

The Mochi just so wonderfully chewy, stretchy and bouncy 😙

These mochi can be kept about 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container.
But mochi really should be eating the day of making. They TASTE best FRESH.
I highly recommend to try them.

And how about sprinkle some Mochi pieces on your favourite ice cream?
I’m sure you will be addicted to it 😇, Trust me….I can’t stop eating it 😅

In this video list of tools that I used in creating this project
♥ Baking:
6-Inch Square Cake Pan https://amzn.to/3s3gA5z
Turquoise Pastel Jug https://amzn.to/3D6c6kY
Blue Pastel Pan https://amzn.to/3CDPLtD
Bamboo Steamer https://amzn.to/3MCPRq3
♥ Cameras: Fujifilm X-T3 Mirrorless https://amzn.to/3TgeZVV
♥ Tripod: VILTROX VX-18M https://amzn.to/3gl5mXj
♥ Microphone: Rode NT-USB https://amzn.to/3CKuAWS
♥ Camera Field Monitor: FEELWORLD T7 7 Inch https://amzn.to/3TAcPAs

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us

RAINBOW MOCHI ROL
Yield: One 6-Inch Square Pan
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 ½ hours

INGREDIENTS
Mochi Dough

135 g Glutinous Rice Flour
75 g Granulated Sugar
180 g Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Coating

50 g Potato or Corn Starch
Desiccated Coconut

INSTRUCTIONS
Mochi Dough

Simply combine the Glutinous Rice Flour and Sugar; give a quick whisk.
Pour in the milk and blend that all up until there are no lumps and the sugar completely dissolved.
Strain the mixture to make sure there’s no granules are left at the bottom of the bowl.
Add Vanilla Extract, mix it really well.
*If you use other extracts; make sure the taste is not overwhelm; for example Almond Extract which has a very strong taste; you just need a little bit is enough.
Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions.
Colour each portions (Baby Pink, Soft Green, Baby Blue and White)
Using toothpick add food colouring a little by little so that you can control the amount of the colour to reach the desire pastel colour.
Preheat the steamer
*I am using bamboo steamer; if you use metal or plastic steamer, make sure that you cover the lid with a piece of cloth; so the water condensation during steaming won’t ruin the look of your Mochi.
Start with the white colour mixture for the first layer
Pour the white colour mixture to the pan (don’t forget to stir the mixture first before you pour it into the pan; so that the flour is evenly mixed with the liquid).
Steam over medium high heat for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, the white layer is half cooked and sets hard a bit.
Pour the green mixture on top of the white layer; and continue steam for another 5 minutes.
Pour the blue mixture on top of the green layer; and continue steam for another 5 minutes.
Finally, pour in the pink mixture and steam the Mochi longer for about 15 minutes.
Take it off from the heat and let it chill down a bit for about 10 minutes before you roll it.

Rolling

Grease piece of food grade plastic with vegetable oil as a base for Mochi so it will be easier when you roll it.
Unmould the Mochi, place it onto the plastic base.
Roll it up then turn it over.
To tighten the roll, press the long ruler against the Mochi roll while holding the paper at the bottom of the roll (you can also use scraper to do this)

4. Cover Mochi roll with a plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for about half hour to set up a bit.

Coating & Cutting

For coating
Heat the Potato Starch or Corn Starch in the pan on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes until it turns slightly yellowish and feels lighter; take it off from the heat, transfer to a bowl.
Place some Desiccated Coconut in a small tray.
For Cutting
Layer knife with a food grade plastic and grease the plastic with some vegetable oil.
For Plain Mochi
Cut the Mochi roll into small pieces (about 1 cm wide). Dust Mochi pieces with a bit of starch to prevent stickiness and then brush off any excess starch so the Mochi doesn’t taste powdery.
For Coconut Coated Mochi
Roll Mochi roll onto Desiccated Coconut and then cut into small pieces (1 cm wide).

NOTES

Mochi should be eating the day of making, they taste best fresh.
Left over Mochi can be kept about 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container; on the 4’th day the chewiness will start to decrease.
Cut some Mochi into small pieces, sprinkle on your favourite ice cream
I’m sure you will be addicted to it

Posted on 27 Mar 20212 Nov 2026 by Bembum Kitchen

Neapolitan Mochi Ice Cream

Hi Guys, today we are making these “Neapolitan Mochi Ice Cream”. It’s a soft sticky chewy sweet rice dough with an ice cream filling inside.
It’s been my all time favorite dessert since I was 15^th, and you’ll be surprise to see how Kids love it so much.

These popular Japanese dessert is fairly easy to make at home. The famous brand that you can purchase in Japan is Lotte brand “Yukimi Daifuku”.

NO-CHURN Homemade Ice Cream without Eggs, Whipped Cream or Condensed Milk

Most of people use store bought ice cream to save time.
I personally love to make my own No-Churn ice cream for the fillings. Delicious creamy ice cream without any eggs, whipped cream nor condensed milk; and you can have 2 ice cream flavours in 1 go; The yummy chocolate flavour and vanilla almond to represent the traditional Neapolitan taste.

And YES, it’s always Shiratanako or Mochiko flour for making the best mochi dough. But for most of people is really hard to find them specially in Asian grocery stores and online.
That’s why I decided to substitute it with glutinous rice flour; there will be a difference in texture, but still taste great.

I don’t recommend to store the mochi dough in the fridge to speed up the cooling process, coz it will leads to condensation. The moisture will trap inside the dough and ends with sticky wet dough surface, it will be troublesome- hard to handle.

The texture of the soft mochi so memorable and it can also be flavoured as a complement to the ice cream filling. It is quite chewy and sticky, so make sure that you have enough corn or potato starch to help manage the stickiness.

I loved the soft and chewy texture of this refreshing treats.
Is there any food happier and cuter than mochi? It’s subtly sweet and a pillowy-soft chew.
You can also add a few drops of food coloring to the mochi dough or natural food dyes, the sky’s really the limit.

This is only a basic ice cream mochi recipe, waiting to be dressed up however you like. Add about a teaspoon of matcha powder to make green tea mochi, or a flavored extract to the wet ingredients to flavor it to your liking.

Chocolatey Mochi with Chocolate Ice Cream Filling

The ice cream is creamy, not too soft and not overly sweet; and the chewy mochi itself not too sticky or floury in flavor.

Vanilla Mochi with Vanilla Almond Ice Cream Filling

You can do as many flavours and colours as you want.
Imagine your kids smiling faces when they bite into their favorite ice cream inside the soft mochi shell.

This will make a really cool summer treat and a really fun cooking project with your children.

If you want to make it for some kind of party, such as barbecue or something I think it would be a perfect dessert. I hope Guys enjoy this recipe!

NEAPOLITAN MOCHI ICE CREAM
Yield: 6 pieces (60 ml each)
Active time: 1 hours
Total time: 9 hours

INGREDIENTS
Ice Cream Mixture:

240 gr Milk
30 gr Granulated Sugar
48 gr Milk Powder
10 gr Corn Starch
30 gr Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tbs Cocoa Powder
1 tbs Hot Water

Vanilla Almond Mochi Dough:

115 gr Water
40 gr Milk
40 gr Granulated Sugar
15 gr Vegetable Oil
1/8 tsp Beetroot Powder or Pink Food Colouring
1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Almond Extract
80 gr Glutinous Rice Flour

Chocolate Mochi Dough:

115 gr Water
40 gr Milk
40 gr Granulated Sugar
15 gr Vegetable Oil
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 tsp Cocoa Powder
80 gr Glutinous Rice Flour

Corn or Potato Starch

INSTRUCTIONS
Ice Cream Mixture

Prepare the silicone mould (if you use small plastic cup, glass or cupcake pan, make sure that you line the mould with cling wrap so it’s easier when unmould the ice cream).
In a medium pan, combine 240 grams of milk, sugar and milk powder, mix until no lumps remain.
Cook over medium heat until simmering, stirring constantly to avoid the mixture burning.
In the meanwhile, in a small container combine the corn starch, 30 grams of milk and vanilla extract, mix well.
Gently pour the corn starch mixture to the simmering milk mixture, continue whisking until the mixture starts to boil and thickened.
Remove from the heat, divide half of the mixture to the 3 cavities of the mould.
Mix the remaining mixture with cocoa powder that has been diluted with some hot water.
Divide this chocolate mixture to the rest of cavities.
Cover and store them in the freezer for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight to harden.
Unmould the ice cream; place them in the container that has been lined with parchment paper so it won’t stick to the surface. Pop them again in the freezer while continue with the mochi dough.

Mochi Dough
Microwave Method

In a microwave safe bowl, mix all the ingredients until well combined.
Cover the bowl with a cling wrap, microwave it on high heat for 1 minute, take it out and stir with a wet rubber spatula, cover again and microwave it for another 1 minute (we will know that the mixture is well cooked when all the colour is semi translucent).

*For the chocolate mochi dough; strain the mixture before microwave it to make sure there’s no lumps remain.

Steaming Method

In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients until well combined.
Place the bowl in the preheated steamer (cover the steamer lid with a towel so the condensation won’t drop into the mochi mixture) and steam for about 20 minutes (stir it with a wet rubber spatula at halfway cooking and cover it again to finish cooking).

ROLLING

Cover the work surface with a piece of large parchment paper and dust with generous amount of corn or potato starch (if you are worried about eating raw starch, heat the starch in the pan for about 5 minutes).
Transfer the hot cooked mochi dough onto a parchment paper and sprinkle more starch on top of the dough.
Using your palm gently press and spread the dough onto a long rectangular shape, about ¼ inch thick (until it’s big enough to fit into 3 pieces round circles shapes).
Let the dough rest for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until the mochi is set and cooled down completely.

ASSEMBLY

Using round cutter, divide the mochi dough into 3 pieces for each flavour. Pick up one circle of dough, gently brush off the starch on both sides.
Brush the mould with some starch to prevent stickiness and then lay the dough in the center of the mould
Working with one scoop of ice cream at a time, (keep the rest in the freezer so they don’t melt), place one ice cream scoop in the center of the mochi dough and gently press the dough around the ice cream. Pinch the edges of the mochi to seal it.
Continue with remaining dough and ice cream (try to work fast or else the ice cream will starts to melts it will end up as a puddle on your hands).
Cover and store them in the freezer for at least 1 hour before serving.

*If your use other than silicone moulds, make sure that you cover the finished ice cream mochi individualy in a cling wrap to prevent stickiness and then place them back into the mould to keep the shape.

NOTES

Feel free to double or triple the recipe; more dough means longer time to cook the mochi dough.
I don’t recommend to store the mochi dough in the fridge to speed up the cooling process, coz it will leads to condensation, the moisture will trap inside the dough and ends with sticky wet dough surface, it will be hard to handle it.
It’s important to have a size of mochi dough that is just big enough to surround the ice cream, coz too much extra dough hanging off which will taste a bit hard once it frozen.
Mochi ice cream can be kept in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 week. When you’re ready to eat, let them sit out for at least 15 minutes to soften before biting in!
Recipe variations:
– Matcha: Mix in 1 1/2 tsp of matcha (green tea powder) to the vanilla ice cream mixture (omit vanilla and almond extract) and 1 tsp to the plain mochi dough (omit the beetroot powder).
– Coffee: Mix in 1 tsp of instant coffee to the vanilla ice cream mixture (omit almond extract) and ½ tsp to the plain mochi dough (omit the beetroot powder).

Posted on 21 Apr 20202 Nov 2026 by Bembum Kitchen

Puffy Bear Ichigo Daifuku (Strawberry Mochi)

Hi Guys, I miss you Guys so much. Hope you and your family are healthy and safe during these uncertain and unprecedented times.

Today we are making these Puffy Bear Ichigo Daifuku or commonly known as Strawberry Mochi.

Daifuku is a popular traditional Japanese sweet and there are many varieties of Daifuku. They usually come with the same soft and chewy mochi exterior with different stuffing.

During the springtime, Japanese confectionery shops sell a seasonal Strawberry Mochi called Ichigo Daifuku with a whole strawberry as the filling.
The combination of fresh juicy strawberry, sweet bean paste and soft chewy mochi is a match in heaven.

They are smooth and springy, a nostalgic reminder of my childhood and all the happy memories in Japan.

Instead of sweet bean paste as a filling, I’m gonna show you how to make my homemade chocolate paste, which is very delicious and match perfectly with these lovely strawberry mochi.

The chocolate paste has supper deep rich chocolaty flavor, it’s really easy to make and tastes great on everything specially for bread filling.

Making daifuku is very much like a craft. The process can be fun and Soothing.
When working with mochi dough, make sure that you do not stretch it too thin to prevent tearing.

Pick fresh strawberries and also choose medium small round ones, because they are easy to handle and look cute when wrapped with bean paste and mochi.

You can use any type of strawberries which is available in your country. I personally fall in love with Korean Strawberry, because wherever I eat strawberry; the taste is never be so great like this, it’s light yet smooth juicy texture gives an excellent balance with unique berry fragrance and sweetness.

Japanese sweets “Daifuku” are best served with green tea, matcha green tea, or you could try matcha latte and hojicha as well.
I hope you enjoy making Strawberry Mochi. Take care and stay safe everyone! Love you all!!

PUFFY BEAR ICHIGO DAIFUKU (STRAWBERRY MOCHI)
Yield: 6 pieces
Active time: 1 hours
Total time: 3 hours

INGREDIENTS
Chocolate Paste:

60 grams Granulated Sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons Milk Powder
20 grams Unsalted Butter
25 grams Cocoa Powder
75 grams Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (optional)

Mochi Dough:

100 grams Glutinous Rice Flour
10 grams Tapioca Starch
20 grams Corn Starch
200 grams Milk
80 grams Granulated Sugar
5 grams Vegetable Oil
A pinch of Salt
Food Colouring (Brown and Red)

Assembly:

6 Pieces Medium Strawberry
Potato or Corn Starch
Melted White Chocolate or White Food Colouring

INSTRUCTIONS
Strawberry Chocolate Filling

In a small saucepan, combine sugar, milk powder, unsalted butter, cocoa powder, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix it all through until no lumps remain.
Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and it’s forms a smooth paste.
Take it off from the heat, pour it into a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for about 1 hour.
After 1 hour, divide the chocolate paste into 25 grams balls. Flatten the chocolate paste and place a strawberry on the center.
Wrap the strawberry with the chocolate paste and shape it back into an oval shape, cover each strawberry chocolate with a cling wrap (like a piece of candy).
Store them in a fridge to set for 1 hour.

Mochi Dough

In a microwave proof bowl, combine the glutinous rice flour, tapioca starch, corn starch, along with milk and sugar. Mix that all through.
Add in the vegetable oil, mix well until well combined and completely smooth.
Cover the bowl loosely with cling wrap and microwave it on 1000 Watt for 1 minute. After one minute, removed the bowl from the microwave and stir (you can see the mixture will be still runny and floury).
Once you’ve stirred well, put the bowl back into microwave for another 1 minute. Take the bowl out of the microwave and stir again (by now, it should look partly floury and partly should be starting to resemble mochi texture).
Cover again and microwave it for the last time, for about 45 seconds to 1 minute. The colour of the mochi should change from white to almost translucent.
Stir well with a spatula (temperatures may vary, if centers still runny and undercooking, add cooking time for a few second). If the mochi has a translucent texture, that’s means it’s done.
Mochi pounding; cover the work surface with large cling wrap and brush some vegetable oil to prevent stickiness, apply some oil to all areas that will contact with the hot dough and then transfer the hot cooked mochi on top, cover it with plastic wrap.
Gently use tapping and rolling method with a rolling pin to even out the thickness, fold it into thirds (it’s very similar to folding on a letter that goes in an envelope or laminated dough process in making pastry).
Repeat the tapping rolling and folding action for about 9 more times to create a smooth dough.
To finish the process, I just wrap the dough, roll into a log, and then transfer it into the fridge (2 hours) or freezer (45 minutes).

Assembly and Decoration

Prepare some potato or corn starch for coating purpose (if you are worried about eating raw starch, you can heat the starch in the pan for about 5 minutes).
Cover the work surface with large cling wrap and brush some vegetable oil to the surface and scraper to prevent stickiness. Don’t forget to also put some oil and starch on your hands to prevent the dough from sticking.
Divide mochi dough into 60 grams each, round it into a ball. Using rolling pin and place a piece of cling wrap on top of the dough, gently flatten and roll it into 3-inch diameter disc, make sure that the middle is slightly thicker that the edge of the dough (please note that the smooth surface underneath will be the outer skin of the head).
Place one portion of the strawberry chocolate paste filling at the center of the mochi disc, start covering the strawberry from all sides and use your thumb to hold the mochi on top, gather the mochi and pinch together to complete seal the filling.
Gently shape the mochi as oval as possible, and then cut off the excess mochi dough underneath. Repeat this process for the rest of Daifuku.
*You can dust off the excess potato or corn starch with a pastry brush, or if you find some sticky part, cover the area with starch first and then dust off.
For decorations and details; colour some dough with dark brown, soft pink and deep pink.
– Roll some white and soft pink dough for the ears, 2 pieces each and stick it together, cut the edge of the ears, brush some water and stick it to the head.
– For the cheek, cut some soft pink dough with small round cutter.
– For the nose, cut some deep pink dough with my tiny small heart cutter.
– Using dark brown dough to create the eyes and mouth expression.
– Add the spark of the eyes and teeth with some melted white chocolate or white food colouring.

NOTES

Steaming Method: If you’re using a steamer, 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 20-30 minutes. Half way cooking, stir with spatula and cover to finish cooking. The color of mochi should change from white to almost translucent.
The daifuku keep well for a day or two in the refrigerator.