So as you guys can probably tell

I'm in a different kitchen today

because I'm actually in LA for a short while.

While I'm here,

I figured I should try and make something for Rie.

A lot of you have been asking about it.

She's awesome.

She's made so many amazing recipes

and she challenged me to make these really cute seal mochis.

Mochi is a type of rice cake.

It can be sweet and savory.

This is what a normal mochi looks like.

It's chewy, this one has a sweet filling,

a red bean paste filling

which is what we're actually gonna be doing today.

Mochi on the outside and then red bean paste

with a strawberry on the inside

and then we're gonna try and shape it into a cute baby seal.

It looks relatively simple to make.

It's just a mochi and then you put little arms on it

and then you dot their faces.

Things can be deceptively simple.

There is still a possibility

that this could all go very wrong

but as always I'm gonna try my best

and make a cute seal mochi

that Rie will hopefully really like.

Yeah, so let's give this a shot.

I was looking at recipes online.

I found out that one of my favorite YouTubers, JunsKitchen,

has actually done this before.

So I'm basing my recipe off of his.

His videos are amazing.

I've watched all of them.

His cats are adorable.

So you should go check his channel out.

Recipe is really simple.

You only need a couple ingredients.

Sweet rice flour, mochi flour and then sugar.

Prepackaged red bean paste

which are also really, really good.

My mom usually makes the red bean paste from scratch.

We just don't have the time to do that today

and then we have potato starch.

You can use cornstarch just to keep it from being sticky.

Of course, there are the strawberries.

I bought the really fancy kind.

It's for Rie.

It has to be high quality.

Making it fancy as Rie says.

What is that thing she does?

Make it fancy.

Make it, make it.

This will be the star of today.

Now let's get started making the mochi first.

Making the dough is pretty much just sweet rice flour,

sugar and water.

The mochi flour, we need about 100 grams.

100, yay.

Two tablespoons of sugar.

Stir that together and now is when we add the water.

Slowly combine this until it forms a paste

until hopefully there are no lumps left.

Do you hear the little plops?

I think that is well combined.

So this is kind of the texture we're looking at.

What we're gonna do is to actually pop it in the microwave

for one minute intervals until it becomes super sticky.

Put plastic wrap on it and put it in the microwave.

One minute.

Now we wait.

Ah, okay, it's done.

This still might need some time.

I'm just gonna look at it right now.

It's not quite there yet.

It's in solid clumps.

Definitely needs more time.

It is becoming more solid though which is good.

Hot.

Hot, hot, hot, hot.

Oh boy.

Okay, guys, we're getting that goopy texture now.

Wow, this is so goopy, I love it.

Nice.

So far so good.

Put some potato starch onto the cutting board.

Whoa.

That was cool.

Cover that up.

I feel like this might be too soft and ow, it's hot.

I'm just going to knead this a little bit

to give it some shape.

It's really hot.

This is what I have so far.

It's a little bit jiggly which means it'll taste great

but it's a little too soft right now for me to shape

so let's try that again.

This is what we have now.

This batch looks slightly more solid.

I put a little less water.

Looks like it can hold a shape.

That looks like a giant mochi.

Okay, not giant, a medium sized mochi.

I think we're on the right track here.

I'm gonna set that aside.

Mochi dough is ready.

Now we're gonna cut the strawberries

and get the red bean paste ready to go.

Open this.

Smells so good.

I'm just gonna mush this a little bit

'cause it's still in bean form.

Strawberries.

I am going to wash these really quick.

This box of strawberries was actually $13.

When I said fancy strawberries, I meant it.

So I'm just gonna cut the top off.

I'm gonna try and wrap the whole strawberry in there.

It's just much more indulgent and if I can't

then we'll half it.

This is the red bean paste.

I'm just trying to crush it, make it more into a paste.

Right now it's still very beany.

Smush it kinda like mashed potatoes.

Smush, smush, smush, smush.

Don't be like me, guys.

Buy the paste, don't buy the beans

but if you want an arm workout, this is perfect.

That's pasty.

The red bean paste is now actually red bean paste.

So that's good.

What I'm gonna do now is roll out the mochi dough

so we can cut them into little pieces.

Okay and let's roll that out.

Oh no, it's sticking.

I don't even know really how thin.

It just needs to be big enough

to wrap around the strawberry and the paste.

I'm just winging this, people.

I am just winging this.

Let's just experiment with one first.

No, don't stick, oh no.

No, it's all sticking.

This is a lot trickier than I anticipated.

Oh dear.

Oh dear.

All right, let's try that again.

Guys, this piece looks manageable.

That's a square.

I'm gonna get a strawberry.

Wrap the red bean paste around it

surrounding the strawberry like that.

Try to put it in there and wrap it around it.

Might have been a little too thin.

You can definitely see the strawberry and the red bean

and it definitely doesn't have a pretty shape.

I don't even know what this looks like.

I think what I need to do is be a little less ambitious.

So I'm gonna cut the strawberry in half now.

I'll taste it though.

Mm, it tastes good.

It looks good though from the inside.

I need it to look good on the outside too

so let's try that again.

Stretch this out.

Oh, there we go.

So this one looks a little bit better.

How do I make this into a seal now?

It needs flippers and a tail.

Trying to squeeze a little tail out

and then if we get the eyes and then the nose here maybe

I just cut this.

So that's the tail.

This is what we have so far.

It's a little bit janky

but you can see the beginnings of it, right?

I'm gonna give it little baby slippers,

no, little baby flippers right now.

Roll these into little ball shapes.

Make oval shapes like this.

Glue it on like so.

Come on, stick.

Stick, stick, stick.

There we go.

Flipper one is done.

Now for flipper two.

Like that.

I'm so worried I'm going to completely destroy this.

It's a chubby little thing.

I'm trying to compare the picture Rie sent me

with what it looks like right now.

I know it's not perfect.

It can definitely use some improvement but yay.

Once we paint on the chocolate, it should be even better.

I'm gonna put this to a side for now.

Make another one and then we can paint the faces on.

(calm music)

We have two right now.

That was my goal.

I have nine minutes before Rie comes.

So last stretch, let's go.

Gonna draw the faces on with melted chocolate.

This is the moment of truth.

Gonna hold it for reference.

I'll do it this way.

I don't know if this is gonna work.

Are my hands shaking?

Oh my goodness, my struggle.

Should I give it eyebrows?

Oh my God, my hands are super shaky right now.

Now they're angry seals.

They're so angry that I took so long to make them.

How does it look so far?

I hope it's not sticking to the cutting board.

Seal number one is gonna go here.

His heart is poking out.

Pat, pat.

Pat, pat.

How does that look?

I think having faces really saved it a little bit.

I hope it also tastes okay.

After a long time, I am finally done.

It took way longer than expected

but I think it looks presentable.

I hope she likes it.

I'm really nervous.

Ah.

Rie.

Rie is here.

I'm gonna hide it now.

- Hi.

- [Inga] Close your eyes, close your eyes, close your eyes.

- Okay.

Open?

- Yes.

It's so cute.

- Is it okay?

- Oh my God, it has eyebrows.

This kinda look like blood though.

- Yeah, I know.

- [Rie] It's so fluffy.

- This is like your own squishy toy.

Squish, squish, squish, squish.

- But I love it.

It's like a boy and a girl.

You did a great job.

- Yeah.

- Let's eat together.

Cheers.

Mm.

- Is it good? - Mhm.

- Yeah.

- It's cute and tasty.

- Yay, mission accomplished.

Also, these strawberries.

I was saying how they're like the fancy strawberries.

- Make it fancy.

- Make it fancy.

- Yes.

- Rie approved?

- Mhm.

I approve you, Inga.

Will you make it again?

Long pause.

If you bring it to a party, people will go nuts.

- Yeah?

- Yeah, I'd go nuts, I went nuts.

It's so cute.

Great job.

- Thank you.

I don't know how to end this.

- Just do make it fancy and put on a Tasty video.