James Moffatt
“Mochi ice-cream became a signature dish at Cho Cho San and we wanted to give it a Yoko twist,” says Jonathan Barthelmess. “Make sure you freeze the ice-cream a day before so it goes hard, otherwise it will melt everywhere when you cut it. In the restaurant we use a soft-serve base and set it in a mould, but at home we recommend using your preferred store-bought ice-cream.”
Ingredients
Method
1.Scoop ice-cream into 60gm half spheres onto a deep tray lined with baking paper. (An old-fashioned scoop will work best.) Cover and freeze until hard (1-2 hours).
2.Set a large steamer over medium-high heat (a large saucepan with a steamer insert is best). Cover the underside of the lid with a towel to avoid water dripping into the steamer.
3.Whisk flour, sugar and 540ml water in a heatproof bowl over steamer. Stir every minute until mixture thickens (3-5 minutes), then every 2 minutes until translucent (10-15 minutes).
4.Dust potato starch generously onto a work surface with a fine sieve. Cool mochi slightly until cool enough to handle (20 minutes), then transfer onto bench. Dust top with potato starch, divide into two pieces and roll each with rolling pin until 5mm thick, adding extra potato starch as needed. Transfer to a tray lined with baking paper, cover and chill in refrigerator until cold (30 minutes). Cut with a round cutter into 14cm-diameter discs; dust off flour with a pastry brush.
5.Working with one piece at a time, place mochi round onto a piece of plastic wrap, top with an ice-cream scoop, dot edges of mochi lightly with water, then wrap around ice-cream, twisting the plastic wrap to seal the mochi. Return to freezer and repeat with remaining mochi dough and ice-cream. Freeze for 1 hour to firm, then serve.
We used black-sesame, matcha, mango and strawberry ice-cream.
Whisky suggestion Nikka from The Barrel, served with a single large ice cube. Drink suggestion by Nick Ingall.
Notes
