TOASTED COCONUT MOCHI ICE CREAM

The Japanese are masters of packaging.  Everything in the Nijia Market (or as my boyfriend calls it, "the Ninja Market") on Sawtelle screams, "Buy me! You don't know what I am? Buy me anyway!" This explains the surplus of seaweed chips in my pantry.  One of my favorite treats when I'm in the Sawtelle area is picking up a 6 pack of adorable mochi ice cream balls (essentially ice cream wrapped in a sweet rice flour dough).  Green Tea are my favorite, though my sister and cousins are more into the mango ones.  They're foreign enough to feel like a departure from the ol' scoop and cone, but they're comforting enough to fill that void only ice cream can.  They also force me to dole out my ice cream consumption in systematic bites, rather than the always expanding "half-cup" that turns into the entire pint.  Funny enough, in one of those "Buy me! Even though you can't read a stitch of Japanese!  Obey the cartoon with disproportionately large eyes!" moments, I bought sweet rice flour.  So here is my version of mochi, filled with coconut ice cream with a savory kick.  Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:

Mochi:

1 cup sweet rice flour (I used Mochiko)

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla paste (or 1 1/2 extract)

1/3 cup toasted coconut

(for rolling) Corn Starch

Ice Cream:

2 cups coconut cream

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk (2% or non fat)

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 egg yolks

Directions:

For the mochi:

Mix all of the ingredients together to form a thick paste.  Cover with cling wrap and microwave for 2 minutes.  I know microwaving it takes it from J-Town to your college dorm, but roll with it. Stir vigorously and nuke again for 30 seconds.  Mix a final time and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Put a large sheet of plastic wrap on your counter and dust with corn starch.  Also cover your hands with corn starch (the mochi is super sticky).  Take the mochi dough and form into a ball.  Cut into 10 equal pieces.  For each piece into a circular patty, using the palm of your hand, then roll out with a rolling pin.  You want the circles to be about 3 inches wide.  Be sure to cover everything in corn starch or you'll just get a huge sticky mess.  Set the circles aside.

For the ice cream:

Mix 1 cup coconut cream, salt and the sugar in a pot over medium heat until it comes to a simmer.  Separately, beat the two egg yolks lightly in a medium sized bowl.  Add a 1/4 cup of the simmered cream mixture to the egg yolks and mix.  This is to temper the eggs and prevent them from curdling when added to the whole mixture.  Add a bit more and mix, then add the entire egg mixture to the simmered cream.  Stir with a whisk until the mixture forms a thin custard, about 5 to 10 minutes (or it reaches about 175 on a thermometer).  Take off heat and add the remaining coconut and heavy cream.  Stir, then chill in the fridge. 

Once the mixture is completely chilled, add the milk and stir in.  Add the mixture to your ice cream machine and chill accordingly.

Take the ice cream, and form into ten 1 1/2 inch balls. Freeze the balls until completely hard, this is important because you can' really wrap the mochi around them unless they're completely frozen.

When the balls are ready, wrap each ball with a mochi circle, pinching the ends together.  Put in an airtight container, and freeze.