Mochi Ice Cream [1 quart]¶

From the transcript of Mochi Ice Cream | Basics with Babish.

Composition of the base

This recipe makes mochi ice cream—a delightfully chewy rice dough wrapped around a cold, creamy ice cream center. Andrew Babish uses a rich French-style custard base that can be flavored with matcha, ube, or black sesame. The main trick is handling the mochi dough; it transforms from a white paste into a "semi translucent ectoplasmic goo" that is extremely sticky. You will need a lot of starch to keep it from sticking to everything. Also, be careful not to let your ice cream get rock-hard in the freezer before scooping, or you'll have a tough time getting those perfect round mounds.

Ingredients¶

Master Custard Base

• 480g Heavy Cream (≈2 cups)
• 247g Regular Fat Milk (≈1 cup)
• 100g Granulated Sugar (≈1/2 cup)
• 108g Egg Yolks (≈6 large yolks)
• 1g Table Salt (≈1 generous pinch)

Subtotal Weight: 936g

Mochi Dough

• 100g Mochiko (Sweet Rice Flour) (≈3/4 cup)
• 50g Granulated Sugar (≈1/4 cup)
• 180g Tap Water (≈3/4 cup)
• Potato Starch or Cornstarch (for dusting, as needed)

Subtotal Weight: 330g

Directions¶

1. Base Prep: Mix the heavy cream, milk, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt in a pot. Bring it to a bare simmer over medium heat, whisking until the sugar dissolves. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Slowly add the hot milk mixture to the yolks a few drops at a time to "temper" them so they don't scramble. Once about a third of the liquid is in, whisk the yolk mixture back into the pot. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until it reaches 171°F (77°C) and coats the back of a spoon.
2. Aging: Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a container. Whisk in your desired flavorings (like 2 tbsp matcha or 1.5 tbsp ube extract). Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
3. Churning: Churn the cold custard in your ice cream machine for about 20 minutes until it looks like very thick soft-serve.
4. Hardening: Transfer the ice cream to a container and freeze for 4 hours until firm but not rock-hard. Use a cookie scooper to make round mounds (placing them in a muffin tin helps) and freeze again until solid.
5. Mochi Making: In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk the mochiko and 50g sugar. Add the water and whisk until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 1 minute. Stir with a wet spatula, then repeat the microwave and stir process two more times (3 minutes total) until it becomes a translucent goo.
6. Assembly: Dust a sheet of parchment paper with lots of potato starch. Roll the hot mochi dough into a thin rectangle (≈12x16 inches) and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Cut out 4-inch rounds. Brush off extra starch, place an ice cream mound in the center, and pinch the dough closed. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1 hour before serving.

Nutrition Facts¶

Nutritional values based on the Australian Food Composition Database (AFCD).