Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Yomogi Paste
- Wash well the Yomogi. Bring a pan of water to a boil, add baking soda to remove scum and make it soft. Cook for 5 mins on medium until soft. Drain and release in an ice bath to stop cooking and reserve the vibrant green color.Squeeze out all the moisture and then chop into a paste.
Red Bean Paste
- Roll red bean paste into a ball and set it aside. ※If you use canned red bean paste, it is too loose and contains too much moisture, so cook it in a microwave to evaporate the moisture.
Mochi Dough
- Combine the flour and sugar, mix with lukewarm water, and mix into a dough. Cover with plastic, cook in a microwave for a minute, and then mix to even out the dough.Cook it again in a microwave for a minute. Mix once again and cook it once more.
- In a Suribachi bowl, put prepared Yomogil. The Japanese mortar has fine lines that allow it to break the fibers. Grind Yomogi with a pestle until smooth for a few minutes.
- Transfer the mochi dough to Suribachi Mortal, Pound with a pestle, like Nakatani san does, until you get a smooth mochi dough. I use a spatula as if he is flipping the mochi dough.Dip your pestle in water occasionally to avoid sticking, and keep pounding until you get a nice stretchy mochi! The more you pound the mochi, the more stretchy and velvety mochi.
Assemble
- Divide into seven pieces and shape into a ball.Flatten the mochi; the edges should be thinner than the center. Then, put the red bean paste in the center and wrap it all around.Dust with kinako powder, and there you have it!