Coconut and Peach Mochi

[sonia]

I ran across this Gluten-Free Coconut and Tropical Peach Mochi Desserts tutorial by Sasha Kim when I was looking for peach recipes. It turned out well enough that I bought more peaches!

I highly recommend Sasha Kim's tutorial, complete with pictures, but I'm repeating the recipe here so it's compact enough to print out and bring to the kitchen.

Filling Ingredients
2 ripe peaches (1 to 1 1/2 cups), skins removed and cut into large chunks
1/4 cup apricot-pineapple preserves (plain apricot worked fine)
1 packet (1 Tbsp) gelatin powder

Rice Dough Ingredients
1 2/3 cup sweet rice flour, also called glutinous rice flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cup coconut milk, or a 14 oz can
Cornstarch (or other starch) for work surface
Sweetened coconut flakes, processed until finely chopped

Tools
Small saucepan
Microwaveable medium mixing bowl
Microwave

Filling
Make the filling the day before or several hours before using.

1. Add the chopped and skinned peaches to a saucepan with the apricot-pineapple preserves. Cook over medium-low heat until the peaches have released some of their juices.
   
2. Use a potato masher or fork and mash up the peaches in the pan until it's one big chunky mush.
   
3. Continue to cook just until it first starts to boil. Remove from heat. Slowly add the gelatin while stirring. Continue to stir for 2 minutes after all the gelatin has been added.
   
4. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
   
5. When filling is set stir it up and mash it around. Form it into 14, 1-inch balls and set aside in the fridge until ready to use. You will most likely have leftover filling.

Rice dough

1. In a medium microwavable mixing bowl combine the rice flour, sugar, and salt.
   
2. Add the coconut milk and stir until completely combined.
   
3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, leaving a small slit for steam to vent. Cook on high for 5 minutes.
   
4. If not completely cooked there will be bright white opaque spots, see pictures. Stir the dough and return to the microwave for an additional minute. Continue this until dough is fully cooked.
   
5. Once fully cooked stir the dough for 5 minutes. Stirring for this long is the hardest part, but it's well worth it for the deliciously chewy results!

Assemble mochi

1. Dust a clean work surface and your hands with cornstarch. Transfer the rice dough onto the surface and roll into a log. Cut the log into 14 equal pieces. They will be shaped like loose oblongs.
   
2. Lay plastic wrap over the pieces while you work. Take one piece and slightly flatten it in your palm.
   
3. Place a ball of filling in the center and wrap the edges up and around, pinching to seal in the filling. Continue pinching until it's completely sealed and smooth.
   
4. Roll the finished cake in the finely chopped sweetened coconut and then they're ready to serve.

Serving
Eat warm when freshly made, or refrigerated.

Storage
Keep in the fridge. I put them on a plate covered with plastic wrap so they wouldn't stick together.

Notes
The coconut didn't adhere well for me, but maybe I didn't process it finely enough. I used tapioca starch for the work surface, which might also have affected the stickiness.