You can never have too Matcha: Giant Matcha & Anko Ice Cream Mochi [gf]

When you were too impatient to let the ice cream freeze--

 After seeing the Tasty Japan video for this pop up repeatedly on my newsfeed 5 or 6 times, I was irked by how impractical it looked. Under what circumstance would you just whip out a giant mochi filled with ice cream?! Bad rhetorical question, I know--but I finally came round to realize just how entirely sensible it was. Except perhaps in the impending uncertainty of a power outage precipitated by Harvey, this is as good as it gets. Why? Let me count the ways--

1. It's efficient. I've made normal-sized ice cream mochi before, 2/10 recommend. It was a lot of work having to shape and freeze the ice cream filling beforehand as well as rolling out and chilling the individual mochi wrappers. Why not save yourself the trouble and just make one large one? It can be made in a single sitting and didn't take me more than an hour from start to finish including clean up (excluding the time to make the anko--red bean paste). 
2. It's adaptable. Matcha/red bean not your combination? Change it up! I.e. use cocoa powder instead of matcha, and sprinkle in some mini chocolate chips. If you're a fan of non-matcha tea-flavored things, Earl Grey is totally doable too (see variation note). Be creative, as long as you keep the ratios generally the same, the sky's (or freezer space) is the limit. I will say one reason matcha works really well with this recipe is that it helps balance the sweetness of the condensed milk.
3. It keeps well/can be made ahead of time. This is the perfect all-occasion dessert-- it looks impressive, and can also double as cake, assuming the recipient likes both mochi and ice cream. While you might make a regular cake a few days in advance at most, you could make this a week or two in advance. Spontaneous potluck/dinner party? You're prepared. Spontaneous craving to celebrate for no apparent reason? Check.
4. It's economical. Matcha ice cream can be pretty pricey, so making it yourself with a mere 3 ingredients is a better deal, not to mention the fact that it gives you the ability to adjust just how match-a flavor you want. 
5. Last but not least, it's easy. A run-down of the steps from start to finish. Mix the 4-ingredient mochi and micowave for 3 minutes. Roll it out/coat with potato starch and let cool. Meanwhile, whip the 3-ingredient ice cream. Move the mochi to a bowl, pour in ice cream and fold over mochi to cover. Freeze. Eat. Repeat. 
6. Bonus: It's forgiving. Most cakes need a coat of some sort of frosting/icing/ganache to hide the imperfections, but the most you need here is an extra dusting of matcha powder or powdered sugar. The bunched up mochi folds are safely hidden at the bottom. 
7. Extra bonus--it's gluten-free! It can also be vegan if the a coconut-cream based, no-churn ice cream is used for the filling. I recommend this one.

If you're still a skeptic-- I practice what I preach, and have since made it a second time. Your turn.

A note on anko:
The layer between the mochi and ice cream would be the anko, or adzuki bean paste. It's a common filling to a number of Chinese (and other Asian) sweets--steamed buns (包子 bāozi) and mooncake (月饼 yuèbǐng) just to name a few. In general, adzuki beans (红豆 hóngdòu) are eaten sweetened, such as an a breakfast congee. I won't lay it all out here, as there are plenty of blogs that do a great step-by-step how-to, like this one. The process generally entails soaking the beans overnight, then boiling down them down until they thickens into a paste. Minimal effort that pays off, as homemade paste is much better than store-bought.


||Giant Matcha Ice Cream Mochi||

Ingredients:
For the mochi~

• 1 cup rice flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 heaping tsp matcha 
• 1 cup water
• potato starch for coating--usually about 1/4-1/2 cup

For the ice cream~

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 can sweet condensed milk
• 1 heaping Tb matcha (or to taste)

Directions:

• *prep step* Find a suitable bowl--you want a medium-sized bowl that lets you hang the edges of the mochi over the rim while you pour in the filling. This could be a soup/cereal bowl. I've included two two bowls I've used for reference; the green bowl holds 8 cups. Coat generously with potato starch.

1. Make the mochi: combine flour, sugar and matcha powder and mix well to combine. Add water gradually while stirring until all combined. (This prevents clumping/struggles that happen if the water were added all at once. I speak from experience). Grease a medium glass bowl, then pour in mochi batter. cover loosely with plastic wrap and microwave for 3 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the work surface. Lay out some parchment paper on the countertop and generously cover with potato starch. When mochi is done, invert onto potato starch. Cover top of mochi with additional potato starch and let cool a bit, then roll it out--a metal water bottle/glass wine bottle is terrific for this; be sure to coat it in potato starch as well so as to prevent sticking. You want a round-ish, pizza-sized finished product of uniform thickness. Set aside to continue cooling (you can also put it in the fridge for a bit). 
2. Make the ice cream: combine all ingredients and whip until peaks form and cream has an almost pudding-like consistency. 
3. Assemble! Transfer mochi to prepared bowl, pour in ice cream filling, then fold the remaining edges of mochi over the ice cream. Pinch the edges together to seal the ice cream in. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight, or at least until ice cream solidifies-- about 4 hours. 
4. When ready to impress, invert onto plate, dust with extra matcha powder. Let soften a few minutes before slicing, serve and enjoy! 

Variations:

• Anko~ You can either mix 1/2 cup anko into the ice cream filling, or layer it first into the mochi just before pouring in the ice cream.
• Chocolate~ replace matcha with cocoa powder and fold chocolate chips into the ice cream!
• Earl Grey~ Flavor the mochi simply with some vanilla if you want a white exterior, or replace the water with tea. Some orange jam might also be nice to highlight the citrus tones of the tea. For the heavy cream, put in a tea bag and heat the cream under gentle heat (low simmer) to infuse the tea flavor. Transfer it to the bowl you'll be whipping it in and refrigerate until fully chilled. Then whip up and proceed as usual.