Bird’s Nest Strawberry Cream Cheese Mochi
Makes 14-16 mochis
Cooking Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Ingredients
For the mochi skin:
- 200g fresh milk
- 200g water
- 140g glutinous rice flour
- 60g white sugar
- 12g of rice flour
- 10g instant custard powder
- 1 tbs vegetable/olive oil
For the filling:
- 1-2 pieces Yan Yuan Bird’s Nest
- 120g fruit jelly or jam (strawberry, grape, etc)
- 120g cream cheese, soften
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- ½ tsp almond extract
Cooking
For Bird’s Nest:
- Soak Bird’s Nest in a bowl of water for 2-4 hours (or soak overnight in the fridge).
- Shred the soaked Bird’s Nest into smaller strands with your hands, and rinse with fresh water.
- Prepare a double boiler by filling the external pot with water till it reaches half the height of the internal pot.
- Place soaked Bird's Nest into the internal pot.
- For each piece of Bird’s Nest, add 30ml water.
- Cover the double boiler, and bring to a boil.
- Once the water is boiling in the external pot, reduce to a low flame and continue cooking for 45 minutes.
- Remove Bird’s Nest from steamer and chill.
For the filling:
- In a mixing bowl, add in the powered sugar, cream cheese, almond extract. Mix well and refrigerate overnight, or until firm.
- In another mixing bowl, add in the fruit jelly and the cooked bird’s nest. Mix well and set aside (this step should be done just before making mochi).
For mochi skin:
- Mix the milk, water, sugar and oil together in a pan.
- Mix well and bring the mixture to a light boil and remove from heat.
- Sift the glutinous rice flour, rice flour, and the custard powder together into a mixing bowl.
- Pour the milk mixture slowly into the powder mixture, using a spatula to mix well.
- Mix the mixture into a smooth dough-like consistency.
- Transfer the dough into a shallow bowl that has been lightly greased with oil.
- Spread the dough out evenly and steam the paste on high heat for 18 minutes.
- Remove the mochi skin from the steamer and set aside to cool.
Filling the mochi:
- Spread the mochi skin onto a non-stick mat.
- Roll out and cut into 16 portions. To prevent mochi from sticking to hands, use plastic gloves.
- Take a portion of mochi skin and place under a cling film and roll out into a circle using a rolling pin. Cling film prevents mochi from sticking to rolling pin.
- Holding the mochi skin in your hand, spoon about ½ a tsp each of the cream cheese filling and bird’s nest fruit mix into the center. Pinch the edges together to close the mochi.
- Further shape the mochi by rolling it in hands.
- Dust the mochi down with glutinous rice flour to prevent it from sticking.
- Serve chilled or at room temperature.
