The Invention of Mochi Ice Cream
Mochi ice cream is a delightful treat that combines creamy ice cream wrapped in a glutinous rice cake called mochi. It has gained immense popularity, appearing in Western supermarkets and on dessert menus at Asian restaurants. People love it for its vibrant variety of flavors, eye-catching colors, and its appeal as a gluten-free, lower-fat dessert option.
Following its recent surge in popularity, mochi ice cream is rapidly establishing itself in Western culture. But how and when did mochi, a traditional ingredient from Japan, China, and Korea, first encounter Western ice cream?
In this article, we’ll uncover the fascinating story behind the creation of mochi ice cream and share a simple, mouthwatering recipe that you can try at home.
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Mikawaya and the Western Invention of Mochi Ice Cream
Mikawaya, a confectionery manufacturer based in California, was founded in 1910 in Los Angeles by Hashimoto Ryuzaburo, who immigrated to the United States from Aichi Prefecture in Japan. With over 100 years of history, Mikawaya initially focused on producing and sellingwagashi, traditional Japanese sweets.
In the early 1980s, however, the owner at the time was inspired during a trip to Japan, where he discovered the unique texture and flavor of a traditional sweet called daifuku mochi. Inspired by this, he developed what is now recognized as the first mochi ice cream in the West.
Daifuku mochi is a popular Japanese confection made with soft, chewy mochi dough called gyuhi and filled with sweet red bean paste. Mochi ice cream was created as an American twist on daifuku, replacing the red bean paste filling with ice cream.
After being perfected through trial and error, Mikawaya’s new product debuted in 1994 with test sales at the company’s Honolulu store in Hawaii, featuring flavors such as strawberry, mango, vanilla, green tea, and coffee.
Hawaii, with its rich history as a home to over 200,000 Japanese immigrants between the early 19th and mid-20th centuries, provided the perfect setting for introducing Mikawaya's innovative dessert. Japanese immigrant cuisines often blended with local ingredients, balancing tradition and innovation to create a distinct culinary identity. It’s no coincidence that Mikawaya chose Honolulu to debut mochi ice cream, given Hawaii’s rich culinary history.
Soon after, Mikawaya’s mochi ice cream gained traction in Asian grocery stores and restaurants across the United States. Its popularity soared when large supermarket chains began carrying it.
Today, mochi ice cream is produced by numerous manufacturers not only in the United States but also across Europe, including countries like the UK, France, and Germany. Nevertheless, they all trace their origins back to Mikawaya.
Japan’s Original Mochi Ice Cream: Yukimi Daifuku
Meanwhile, in 1981—about 10 years before Mikawaya—the major Japanese confectionery company Lotte Co., Ltd. (hereafter referred to as Lotte) introduced Yukimi Daifuku, Japan’s first domestically made mochi ice cream.
At the time in Japan, it was customary to eat ice cream during the warmer months, and most manufacturers focused their sales efforts from spring to summer.
By the 1980s, however, heating appliances had become common in Japanese homes, keeping interiors warm even during winter.
It was in this context that Lotte, a company relatively new to ice cream manufacturing, developed the unique concept of Yukimi Daifuku: an ice cream intended to be enjoyed indoors, in a heated room, during the colder months from fall to winter. This concept set them apart from competitors at the time.
The word "yukimi" in the product name refers to the tradition of watching and enjoying falling snow. The name and the warm red tones of the packaging—unchanged since the product's release—highlight the concept of Yukimi Daifuku.
In fact, before Yukimi Daifuku, Lotte introduced a predecessor called Wataboushi, which featured marshmallows instead of mochi. Marshmallows in Japan often elicit mixed reactions. To appeal to a broader audience, Lotte replaced the marshmallow with mochi, a well-loved traditional ingredient.
Lotte describes Yukimi Daifuku on its website as "ice cream wrapped in soft mochi, with a rounded shape and texture that evoke warmth and comfort." While the company hasn’t explicitly stated it, the term "daifuku" likely refers to daifuku mochi.
The Development of the Uniquely Soft Texture of Yukimi Daifuku
One of the major challenges, even for developers at large corporations like Lotte, was creating a special type of mochi that would remain soft when wrapped around ice cream stored at freezing temperatures.
The mochi in Yukimi Daifuku, known for its softness and elasticity, is unique compared to the chewy texture commonly found in Western-style mochi ice cream.
To achieve this texture, Lotte produces its own finely ground glutinous rice flour, known as habutae-ko. They carefully balance the sugar content to maintain the mochi's moisture and softness. Moreover, since large-scale production reduces elasticity, they opt for smaller batches, even though it increases costs.
Since launching Yukimi Daifuku, Lotte has improved the mochi texture nine times over 40 years. Thanks to these efforts, Yukimi Daifuku continues to dominate the Japanese mochi ice cream market. It remains a long-time favorite, widely available in supermarkets and convenience stores across Japan.
An Easy Homemade Mochi Ice Cream Recipe
Ice cream products from Japanese manufacturers are popular with foreign visitors to Japan, due to their exceptional quality. Over the past nine years, export value has increased nearly fivefold, reaching 7.96 billion yen in 2023.
In line with this trend, Yukimi Daifuku is now sold overseas under the name YUKIMI. As a result, YUKIMI has become increasingly available in international markets. However, it remains a niche product compared to local offerings, making it somewhat challenging to find.
Finally, if you're curious about how YUKIMI compares to other mochi ice cream products, here's a simple recipe to recreate the Japanese-style Yukimi Daifuku at home. With pre-cut rice cakes called kirimochi, available at Asian supermarkets or online, you can make it in just 30 minutes. Why not try making it yourself?
This recipe was shared by Ooishi Hisako, a guide for All About, a renowned Japanese lifestyle website. She specializes in developing innovative dishes and cooking techniques inspired by traditional cuisine and is active in publishing and advertising.
Recipe: Recreating Yukimi Daifuku Using Kirimochi
Ingredients (for 6 pieces)
- Mochi: 1 piece of kirimochi (pre-cut rice cake)
- Milk: 80 cc (3 fl. oz)
- Granulated sugar: 1 tablespoon
- Vanilla ice cream: about 250 grams (9 oz)
- Potato starch: a small amount
1: Microwave the mochi with milk
Place the mochi and milk in a microwave-safe bowl, heat in the microwave at 600W for about 1 minute and 40 seconds, and mix well with a spoon. There's no need to cover the bowl with plastic wrap while microwaving.
2: Add granulated sugar and mix
Stir with a spoon, and once the mochi has become soft and gooey, add the granulated sugar and mix well.
3: Freeze
Line a metal tray with parchment paper. Scoop the mochi with a spoon and spread it thinly and in a round shape on the parchment paper. Once it has cooled slightly, place the tray in the freezer to harden.
4: Wrap the ice cream
Place a rounded scoop of vanilla ice cream onto the mochi. Fold the edges of the mochi over the ice cream, overlapping them to wrap it completely and shape it into a ball. Work quickly to wrap it without touching the ice cream too much to prevent it from melting.
5: Shape and freeze
Dust your hands lightly with potato starch, gently rub the surface of the daifuku to apply the starch, and shape it into a smooth ball. Place the tray in the freezer to harden the mochi ice cream.
6: Your Homemade Yukimi Daifuku is ready!
Once the Yukimi Daifuku is fully hardened, take it out of the freezer and let it sit for a bit. It’s best enjoyed when the surface has softened slightly.
Quick Tip
In step 3, spread the soft mochi as thinly as possible. Freezing the mochi briefly after shaping it into rounds makes it easier to work with. It doesn’t take long to harden, so don’t worry too much about perfect shapes—just work quickly and efficiently.
Daifuku mochi, the traditional Japanese confection that inspired today’s mochi ice cream, dates back to the Edo period (1603 CE–1868 CE). During the 17th and 18th centuries, ice cream in a form similar to what we know today was developed in Europe and later spread to the United States, where it continued to evolve.
Nearly 300 years later, in the 20th century, these two creations merged, giving rise to mochi ice cream in both Japan and the United States.
In today’s globalized world, it is not uncommon for items with entirely different roots—especially in the realm of food—to come together and create something new and captivating.
Recently, traditional Japanese sweets, or wagashi, have been gaining popularity worldwide. It may not be long before we see the emergence of another "international sweet" inspired by traditional Japanese confections, much like mochi ice cream.
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