Azuki Stuffed Tapioca Mochi

Name: Azuki Stuffed Tapioca Mochi
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 300 ml Water; 50 g Tapioca Starch; 50 g Caster Sugar; 4 heaped-tablespoonfuls ‘Tsubu-an’ (Sweet Azuki Paste)

Hiroko Liston @hirokoliston

Melbourne, Australia

This Japanese sweet is traditionally made with ‘Kuzuko’ (Kuzu Starch), which creates its unique soft & rubbery texture. However, real ‘Kuzuko’ is extremely difficult to find and it is expensive. Many ‘Kuzuko’ products are actually a blend of other starch. I have tried to recreate the texture of ‘Kuzuko’ using substitutes, and I concluded that the best substitute is Tapioca Starch, which is widely available. Even the popular ‘Arrowroot Starch’ is actually Tapioca starch. With this simple method, I can now make this sweet anytime I want to eat it.

Hiroko Liston @hirokoliston

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Ingredients

4 servings

300 mlWater
50 gTapioca Starch
50 gCaster Sugar
4heaped-tablespoonfuls ‘Tsubu-an’ (Sweet Azuki Paste)
'Tsubu-an' (Sweet 'Azuki' Paste)

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Steps

1

Prepare 4 small cups or dessert moulds. Wet the inside of the cups with Water. Roll ‘Tsubu-an (Sweet Azuki Paste) into 4 balls that are right size to fit in the cups you use. *Note: I used small Japanese tea cups.
2

Place Water, Tapioca Starch and Sugar in a saucepan, and mix well. Bring to the boil over medium low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula (silicone spatula recommended). Once it’s started turning clear, reduce the heat to very low, and keep stirring until completely clear and gooey like toy slime.
3

Now you have to work quickly. Pour or spoon the mixture in a cup about 1cm deep, place the Azuki Paste in centre, then cover with the mixture. Quickly repeat the process with remaining cups. *Note: After you finished, soak the saucepan in HOT water, so that it would be easy to clean.
4

Place the cups in cold water for 30 minutes or until firm. You may wish to chill in the fridge, but do not leave them in the fridge for long as the rubbery texture will be lost and the clear Mochi turns white.
5

I recommend to enjoy this sweet when it is just set. Add a little bit of COLD water to the cups and use a small spatula or spoon to separate the Mochi from the cups. Remove excess water, then turn the Mochi out onto serving plates.