DAY BEFORE PREP
Mochi uses raw cornstarch (or katakuriko/potato starch) as the coating. Depending on who you ask cornstarch may not be good to eat raw. For the utmost food safety, bake 3/4 C of cornstarch and 1 TB powdered sugar at 350F for 5 minutes or until 160F. When done, stone in a glass container.
Pressure cook adzuki (red beans) does not require soaking beans! Place 250 g dried adzuki beans in pressure cooker with 4 C water. optional add vanilla bean. pressure cook 25 minutes, then let it sit for 20 minutes (natural release). Open the lid, check that beans are soft. Strain the cooked beans and the liquid, reserve some liquid. Dissolve 1 C sugar and 1/4tsp salt into the hot beans. Blend in Vitamix, pour into a container and chill.
Optional: Pressure cook taro (peeled, cubed taro. steamer basket. instant pot. 10 minutes "Steam" button). Mash and add sugar and nondairy milk until it's a good taste and texture (inspiration1, inspiration2, purple sweet potato variation)
Optional: pressure cook white beans (cannelini, navy, or some people like lima beans), flavor with sugar, cocoa, peanut butter, black sesame paste etc.
Scoop the pastes with small cookie scoop onto a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze. Frozen fillings are much easier to wrap mochi around!
DAY OF
Pour the baked cornstarch/sugar mixture onto a parchment paper lined baking tray. This is where hot mochi dough will go later.
In a large microwave save ceramic or glass bowl, combine:
1 C glutinous rice flour, "mochiko". You can use Shiratamako but I can't taste the difference and mochiko is easier to find at the store!
1/4 C powdered sugar
1 TB cornstarch (raw is fine b/c we will cook this)
1 C water (or non dairy milk)
Zap mochi dough in microwave for 1 minute. Stir with silicone/rubber spatula. Zap for another 1 minute. Stir. Zap for 30 seconds and stir. continue until the raw wet spots are either gone or very very small.
Stir in 1 TB avocado or neutral oil, you will have to kind of massage it into the mochi dough with the spatula. Be careful b/c it's very hot.
Spread the mochi out on the prepared cornstarched sheet. Let cool for 5-10 minutes until it's not burning your hands to touch it.
Bring the frozen fillings out. Place muffin cups (silicone or paper) in a a tray.
Cut off a small chunk of mochi dough (like 1-2 TB? some people weigh it but I'm lazy). Flatten with your hands, brush off excess cornstarch with a pastry brush. If it's too sticky use more cornstarch on your hands.
Wrap the mochi around frozen filling, seal the mochi onto itself. Shape it around the frozen filling with your hands. Optional: press it in mooncake molds to make a "snowskin" shape.
Place in muffin cup ( Use cupcake liners to keep each mochi separate from each other. )
Let the mochi rest: the hot exterior will cool and the frozen interior will soften up in 30-60 minutes. Eat day of or lasts 2 days in the fridge.
If you want to be extra fancy and put some powder on top: don't do this in advance!! A little bit of matcha + some grainy granulated sugar on top is delicious, but sugar is hygroscopic and the mochi will get gooey if you leave it like that.