Honey Strawberry Daifuku

*Daifuku is a soft rice cake stuffed with sweet bean paste and a strawberry

The combination of tangy strawberries and sweet Manuka honey and white bean paste will bring a smile to your face. Why not enjoy handmade
traditional Japanese sweet while welcoming the arrival of spring?

Ingredients (Makes 6 pieces)

White bean paste: 150g
Water (for white bean paste): About 1 tbsp
Shiratama flour(Rice flour): 60g
Sugar: 1 tbsp
Water (for shiratama flour): 80ml
Food coloring: A small amount
Manuka honey: 1/2 tbsp
Bee pollen: 1 tbsp
Strawberries: 6
Potato starch: As needed

Instructions

1. Combine the white bean paste and water in a pot and heat it up, and stir to evaporate the water.
   Once the mixture reaches a firm consistency, transfer it to a tray lined with kitchen paper and let it cool slightly.
2. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and mix in the Manuka honey and bee pollen.
   Divide into six portions and wrap each portion around a hulled strawberry.
3. In a heatproof bowl, mix together the shiratama flour and sugar.
   Add water tinted with food coloring and mix until combined.
4. Cover the bowl from Step 3 with plastic wrap and microwave at 500W for about 1 minute.
5. Remove the bowl and mix the contents thoroughly.
   Cover again with plastic wrap and microwave at 500W for another 1 minute.
   *Until the dough becomes translucent.
6. Transfer the dough to a tray dusted with potato starch.
   While the dough is still warm, flatten it out and divide it into six portions.
   Roll each portion into a 7 cm diameter circle and wrap it around the strawberry-filled bean paste from Step 2.
   Lightly coat the surface with potato starch.

Tips and Tricks

The white bean paste should be kneaded until it holds its shape when dropped.
If the shiratama flour is coarse, grind it finer using a flat-bottomed dish.