Daifukumochi (大福餅), or Daifuku (大福) (literally "great luck"), is a Japanese confection consisting of a small round mochi (glutinous rice cake) stuffed with sweet filling, most commonly anko, sweetened red bean paste made from azuki beans.
Daifuku comes in many varieties. The most common is white-, pale green-, or pale pink-colored mochi filled with anko. These come in two sizes, one approximately the diameter of a half-dollar coin, the other palm-sized. Some versions contain whole pieces of fruit, mixtures of fruit and anko, or crushed melon paste. Nearly all daifuku are covered in a fine layer of corn or potato starch to keep them from sticking to each other, or to the fingers. Some are covered with confectioner's sugar or cocoa powder.[citation needed] Though mochitsuki is the traditional method of making mochi and daifuku, they can also be cooked in the microwave.[1] Mochi and daifuku are very popular in Japan.
History
Daifuku was originally called Harabuto mochi (腹太餅) (belly thick rice cake) because of its filling nature. Later, the name was changed to Daifuku mochi (大腹餅) (big belly rice cake). Since the pronunciations of Fuku (腹) (belly) and Fuku (福) (luck) are the same in Japanese, the name was further changed to Daifuku mochi (大福餅) (great luck rice cake), a bringer of good luck. By the end of the 18th century, Daifuku were gaining popularity and people began eating them toasted. They were also used for gifts in ceremonial occasions.[Varieties
- Yomogi daifuku (蓬大福)
- A version made with kusa mochi (草餅), which is mochi flavored with mugwort.
- Ichigo daifuku (イチゴ大福)
- A variation containing strawberry and sweet filling, most commonly anko, inside a small round mochi. Creams are sometimes used for sweet filling. Because it contains strawberry, it is usually eaten during the springtime. It was invented in the 1980s. Many patisseries claim to have invented the confection, so its exact origin is vague.
- Yukimi Daifuku (雪見だいふく)
- A brand of mochi ice cream made by the company Lotte.
- Shio daifuku (塩大福)
- A version which has lightly saltiness in mochi and/or azuki sweetfilling.
- Ume daifuku (梅大福)
- A version which contains sweetened plum instead of azuki sweetfilling.
- Coffee daifuku (コーヒー大福)
- A version which contains coffee flavored sweetfilling.
- Mont Blanc daifuku (モンブラン大福)
- A version which contains puréed, sweetened chestnuts (Mont Blanc cream) instead of azuki sweetfilling.
- Purin daifuku (プリン大福)
- A version which contains crème caramel(プリン) instead of azuki sweetfilling.
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Daifuku 
Origin Alternative name(s) Daifukumochi Place of origin Japan Details Main ingredient(s) glutinous rice, sweet filling (usually red bean paste) Variations Yomogi daifuku, Ichigo daifuku, Yukimi Daifuku
Matcha Green Tea Daifuku Recipe :
Ingredients:
Anko (Sweet Red Bean Paste)
2/3 cup azuki beans (red beans)
2/3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
Mochi
1 cup hot water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup glutinous rice flour (sometimes called sweet rice flour)
1 tablespoon matcha green tea powder (optional)
Tons of potato starch or cornstarch
Directions:
To make the anko:
Soak the red beans in a big pot of water overnight. The next day, bring the water to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain out the water and return the beans to the pot. Add 5 cups of water and bring to a boil again. Reduce the heat and let the beans simmer for about one hour, or until they are soft. You should be able to easily pierce them with a fork.
Note: You don’t want the beans to burn, so if all of the water has evaporated and the beans still aren’t soft, add more water as needed.
When the beans are softened, add the sugar and salt (if you want very sweet red bean paste, you can add a full cup of sugar; you can also reduce the sugar to ½ cup if you don’t like your beans too sweet). As the sugar melts, keep simmering and stirring. Stir occasionally if there’s a lot of liquid in the pot, and frequently if there isn’t much liquid.
The beans are done when there is no liquid left, the mixture is thick, and you can easily mash the beans with a fork or one of those mashed potato mashers. It doesn’t need to be as thick as you want it to be for the daifuku, because it will thicken considerably as it cools. Remove the anko from heat and let it cool for 10 minutes at room temperature, and then in the fridge.
To make the daifuku:
Generously coat a surface with potato starch or cornstarch (I recommend a Silpat because mochi is super sticky, but you can just use a clean counter).
In a big microwavable bowl, dissolve the sugar in the hot water. Mix in the glutinous rice flour and the matcha powder and stir until the clumps are gone (it might help to use a whisk). Put the bowl in the microwave for two minutes, then grab a wooden spoon and stir the dough really well. It will look really clumpy and gelatinous at first, but keep stirring vigorously until it smooths out into an even texture.
Heat the dough in the microwave for another 2 minutes, or until the dough inflates. Again, pull it out of the microwave and stir it well with a wooden spoon.
Coax the mochi out of the bowl and onto your starched surface. Generously cover the mochi with more starch, and coat a rolling pin with starch. Roll out the mochi to ¼ inch thick. Using a drinking glass or mug, cut out rounds of mochi.
Fill each mochi round with a spoonful of red bean paste (I used a heaping tablespoon, but unless we have the same drinking glass set, your mochi rounds might require more or less filling). Gather the round of mochi up around the red bean paste and pinch it together at the top. Because you used so much starch, you may need to do a lot of heavy-duty pinching to get the mochi to stick together. Flip over the completed daifuku, sort of round it out with your hands, and you’re done! Store at room temperature in an airtight container.
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