Sakuramochi 桜餅

sakura mochi is eaten during the cherry blossom viewing festival as well as hinamatsuri (girls' day) in japan. there are generally two kinds of sakuramochi - the kanto (tokyo) style one where azuki bean paste-filled pancake/crepe is wrapped with pickled sakura leaf and the kansai style's which is made with domyoji-ko, a kind of glutinous rice flour that is steamed and filled with azuki. when a blogger friend asked if i needed anything from her tokyo trip, i jumped at the chance to request for these pickled sakura leaves. she also came back with an additional pack of pickled sakura flowers and some limited edition kitkats for me, so thank you, CY! i really couldn't wait til next spring to make these :p

oh how i adore these leaves! they're so pretty to look at and are sweet smelling as well. they actually smell like a cross between umeboshi plums and bitter almond. strong-scented but goes really well with the mochi. i do like the mochi but it reminds me of chinese dumplings. i prefer mochi made with real glutinous rice flour and not the rice itself but these are quite good and not too sweet. when it comes to red bean paste, i like using tsubu-an over koshi-an. tsubu-an is chunky which means its less sweet and also has more texture.

and its amazing how japanese tea REALLY complement their wagashi well. i had the mochi with genmaicha and it was such great pairing.

recipe source : wagashi maniac

ingredients (makes abt 10-15 pcs) :

200g mochigome (round-grain glutinous rice)

pinch of salt

300g sweet bean paste(tsubu- or koshi-an)

2-3 drops red food coloring

10-15 pickled sakura leaves

sugar syrup for mochi :

65g johakuto sugar (or other white sugar)

160ml water

sugar syrup for your hands, to prevent sticking :

50ml water

25g sugar

directions :

1. wash the mochigome rice till the water is clear. soak the rice in enough water for 8-12 hours or overnight (covered in the fridge). discard soaking water and test the softness of the rice - the grains should crumble easily between your fingers. spread the soaked rice on a piece of clean cloth, twist it and beat/crush the grains with a heavy wooden pestle (or rolling pin) until all grains are broken in half (not smaller).

2. after the rice grains are crushed, prepare the steamer. bring water to a boil, take the cloth with rice and spread it in the steamer, preferably as wide as possible. steam on high heat, it is important that the rice is steamed evenly, the cloth should also be moist as it absorbs moisture and the rice won’t get too dry. after 15 minutes of steaming, sprinkle the rice with a little cold water, and steam for another 15 minutes.

3. prepare the syrup for mochi: boil sugar and water in a small pot, and color it with 2-3 drops of red food coloring, be careful, you want a soft pink tone, not more. prepare the sugar syrup for your hands by mixing the sugar with boiling water in a cup and letting it cool.

4. add the steamed rice to the pot with the hot (colored) sugar syrup, stir and knead well and remove from heat (add a little salt here). the rice will absorb the liquid. cover with a cloth, let stand for 15 minutes.

5. brush a tray/plate with the cold syrup (for hands) and take out the rice dough (be careful here, since it’s very sticky), moisten your hands with sugar syrup and knead the mochi dough, then form a long shape (use more syrup, if the dough is very sticky). divide the mochi into 10-15 pieces, take one piece, shape it into a small ball, and then flatten it out in your palm. put one of the bean paste balls in the middle, wrap the mochi around it and seal the edges. place the filled mochi on a sakura leaf, and wrap the leaf around it (with the shiny side outside). enjoy with a cup of japanese green tea!