Mochi (a no-bake snack from Japan)

For our first no-bake dessert recipe, we have an easy and fun recipe coming all the way from Japan! Mochi (餅) is a typical Japanese rice cake, filled with either marmalade, bean paste or even ice cream. 

The most interesting thing about this no-bake dessert recipe is the tradition of isshô mochi (一升餅) tied to it, a celebration for one of the most important milestones for babies: their first birthday. Isshô is an antique liquid unit measure, that corresponds to 5 pounds circa, and is still used in alcoholic beverages such as sake. Therefore, isshô mochi means “5-pound mochi”.

But the Japanese language is rich of linguistic puns, so we have to dig deeper to fully understand this tradition: the word isshô has a similar pronunciation as isshō (一生) which means “a whole life” or “one era”; isshô mochi indeed represents a celebration of a baby’s first era, as well as a prayer for them to live in prosperity for their whole life.

Isshô mochi is celebrated by using a 5-pound mochi with the character 寿 (kotobuki, which means longevity in English) written on it, then wrapped in furoshiki, a japanese cloth wrap mainly used for bento boxes. Nowadays, mommies and daddies opt to having their baby’s name written on it, and for it to be even more kawaii (可愛い), pink heart-shaped mochis are used for baby girls.

The ceremony consists of having a 1-year-old baby try to carry this no-bake dessert (with his hands or by having it tied to his back). If they can actually do it it is said that they will leave the nest early, which is considered as a positive thing in some regions and have negative connotations in others. Some regions consider falling as a positive thing, as it is believed to remove the impurities in babies. Either way, I think we can all agree that a baby succeeding in carrying a 5-pound mochi is pretty impressive. Chapeau, baby!

The birthday celebrant then needs to step on the mochi (in some regions while wearing a sandal made out of straw) and be slightly hit on the bum with it. Ouch!

Disclaimer: as much as this dessert could be fun to prepare with your little one, we don’t recommend it to be consumed by babies and toddlers, as it can be a potential choking hazard.

So without further ado, here follows the no-bake recipe for japanese mochi!
Ingredients (serves 4):

• 1 cup of Mochiko Rice Flour 
• 2 cups of Sugar 
• ¾ cup of Water
• Cornstarch (to dust the dough)

You’ll also need:

• A steamer and a pot
• A tray
• Parchment paper

Let’s get to it!

1. Mix the Mochiko rice flour and water together, until it reaches a dough-like consistency (add more water if needed).
2. Steam the dough for 20 minutes.
3. Transfer the moche into a pot and add ⅓ of the sugar (in low-medium heat). Mix until it’s completely dissolved. Do this twice again until you finish all the sugar.
   This will keep the mochi chewy. Reduce the amount if you’re going to serve it right away.
4. Once it is sticky and shiny, transfer it to the tray covered with parchment paper and cornstarch.
   Make sure to keep your adorable baby as a safe distance while doing this!
5. Now comes the fun part: dust your hands with some cornstarch and start shaping them. Try to find the perfect balance, so that your baby can eat them without it being a choking hazard for them.
   When the dough has cooled off a bit, your baby can help you in shaping these adorable desserts.
6. You can add all sorts of fillings inside your mochis, from ice cream to fruit. Have fun with it and don’t be afraid to experiment!
7. And since this is a no-bake recipe, you can eat it straight away. Meshiagare! (Have a good meal!)

Maja Blanca (a gluten-free no-bake pudding from the Philippines)

The second no-bake dessert recipe that I’d like to suggest is a pudding-like Filipino dessert, I’d describe as a slightly denser panna cotta.
The no-bake pudding’s name suggests that it’s a local adaptation of manjar blanco, a name used to indicate milk-based desserts. The particular thing about this version is that it uses coconut milk or almond milk, instead of regular milk.
During the period of time in which it was invented recipe names were closely linked to the cooking process; coconut milk used to be extracted by grounding and pounding it (hence the name Maja, which means grind or reduce to pulp in Spanish). The no-bake dessert is mostly served during fiestas (festivities), birthday parties, or Christmas season.

While Maja Blanca is the most popular color variation of this no-bake recipe, it can also be found in other fun and different colors, like violet (because of a purple yam base or, as locals call it, ube) or green (thanks to pandan leaves).

The following no-bake recipe is an adapted version of the original recipe, specifically thought for babies, and serves up to 4 people.

• 2 cups of Coconut Milk (or almond milk)
• 7oz. of whole Sweet Kernel Corn
• Sugar to taste
• 1 cup Rice, Mais and Tapioca cream mix for Babies
• 2 tbsp. of Toasted and Grated Coconut (optional)

Let’s start!

1. Boil the coconut milk in a pot.
2. Add the Rice, Mais and Tapioca cream a bit at a time, while mixing.
3. Add the sweet corn and sugar to taste.
4. Once the mixture is dense and thoroughly mixed, you can now pour it into a casserole.
5. Sprinkle the grated toasted coconut on top.
6. Let it cool for a while, then put it in the fridge for at least an hour.
   
7. That’s it! Cut it into squares before serving it. Ang Sarap! (Yummy!)

Fruit Tiramisù (a no-bake recipe from Italy)

With a name that literally means “pick me up”, this no-bake dessert recipe is undisputedly the queen of desserts. This delicious no-bake dessert appeared in cookbooks for the first time in the 1960s; there are a lot of debate on the origins of this no-bake dessert, but whether it originated in Veneto or Friuli-Venezia Giulia, what we can be absolutely sure of is its yumminess!
The original version of this no-bake recipe includes coffee, liquor (sometimes even limoncello) and cacao powder on top; sometimes tiramisù can even be layered forming a pyramid or a circle shape.

The no-bake recipe that we’re presenting to you today is a version specifically thought for kids, has no eggs, and is good for 8 people. Here it goes!
Ingredients:

• 1 cup of Mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup of raspberries or strawberries
• ½ cup of confectioners sugar (or less if the berries are very sweet)
• 3 peaches
• 1 lemon
• 7oz Savoiardi biscuits

Now let’s get to cooking, shall we?

• Put the berries in a stove with water, lemon juice and half of the confectioners sugar (which you can easily make at home by putting white sugar in a blender). Keep it in the stove for 4 to 5 minutes then, after blending everything in a mixer, sift the mixture to remove the seeds.
• Place the peaches in boiling water for a couple of minutes, peel them and cut them into cubes.
• Beat the Mascarpone cheese with the remaining sugar.
• Now here comes the most fun part: layering! Start by dipping the Savoiardi biscuits in your berry juice, then place them at the bottom of your chosen container (possibilities are infinite, you can go for a casserole as well as mason jar); proceed by adding the peaches and then the Mascarpone cream. Repeat this process until you’ve finished your ingredients, your last layer should be the Mascarpone cream. Your baby can even help with this process!
• Keep in your fridge for at least 6 hours, then grab a spoon and enjoy! Buon appetito!

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