Sakuramochi (桜餅の関西風) - (AFF - Japan #3)

My 3rd Japanese dish post for Asian Food Fest.

When I saw Alan's Sakuramochi, I knew I really wanna make this. He brought me some pickled Sakura leaves and pickled Sakura blossoms from Japan earlier this year and I finally have the opportunity to use it.

Sakuramochi is one of the well known variety of Wagashi. This sweet pink mochi, filled with sweet red bean paste, and then wrapped with pickled sakura leaf and pickled sakura blossom.

The ingredients looked simple. But living in Singapore, I don't think it's easy to get. So, here's the shopping list for your reference :

• For dōmyōji-ko, I get it from Meidi-Ya.
• For sweet red bean paste, I conveniently used canned Hokkaido red bean paste, available at Meidi-Ya, or Isetan Scotts or Yamazaki convenient store at The Central. However, if you want to cook your own red bean paste, you can. Do refer to Alan's blog.
• Pickled Sakura Leaves, I don't see any of them in Singapore. Alan got it for me from Japan.
• Pickled Sakura Blossoms, Alan got it for me from Japan too. But I saw it at Ichiban Boshi Great World City outlet a week ago.  

This Sakuramochi is Kansai style, that uses dōmyōji-ko (道明寺粉) literally glutinous rice flour/grain in Japanese for this mochi. I got it from Meidi-Ya, and it's really expensive. I got this pack of dōmyōji-ko from Meidi-Ya, and it's really expensive. For a small pack of 150g, it cost S$7 odd. Fwoh!!! 

The pickled sakura leaves and pickled sakura blossoms from Japan.

This recipe makes 12 mochi's, but I make it 10 instead. Simply because the pack of pickled sakura leaves that Alan gave me, only contain 10 leaves. So... it's up to you. You want to make it 10 or make it 12? Up to you :) 

Ingredients
(Source : Alan's Sakuramochi)

• 150g dōmyōji-ko (道明寺粉)
• 150g Caster Sugar
• 250g anko red bean paste (tsubushi’an or koshi’an)
• 150g Warm water
• Pink food coloring (I used Wilton pink)
• 10 Pickled sakura leaves
• 10 Pickled sakura blossoms

Method

1. Rinse dōmyōji-ko with water.
2. To a shallow metal dish, add dōmyōji-ko  caster sugar and warm water. Stir well with a fork to dissolve sugar.The dōmyōji-ko should begin to reconstitute and start to get sticky and clumpy.
3. Add a pinch of pink food coloring and mix thoroughly. You just need teeny weeny amount is required. Better to use less from the start and adjust subsequently than to make it all gaudy to a point beyond resuscitation.
4. Spread out the dōmyōji-ko over metal dish and steam it at high heat for about 10 min or until the grains have completely soften, stirring the mixture periodically with a fork. Never use a spoon over hot and soft rice as it would invariably compress the grains, causing them to lose their structure.
5. Let the cooked dōmyōji-ko cool down completely.

To assemble

1. Soak the pickled sakura leaves and blossoms separately to remove excess brine and salt respectively. Pat dry with kitchen towel. Retain the soaking water for the pickled sakura leaves.
2. When the dōmyōji-ko has cooled down, divide into 10 equal portions and roll into balls. Likewise, divide red bean paste into 10 equal portions and roll into balls
3. Using the sakura leaves soaking water, moisten palms and fingers. Flatten a portion of dōmyōji-ko with either fingers of heel of the palm.
4. Carefully place a ball of red bean paste in the centre of the flattened glutinous rice disc and work the side to seal it up carefully.
5. Place the glutinous rice ball over the broader end of the sakura leaves and cover by pulling over the narrower pointed end.
6. Embellish with pickled sakura blossoms.
7. Repeat process until all the ingredients are used up. Remember to wet fingers and palms with soaking liquid as required.
8. Serve immediately with Japanese tea.

The dōmyōji-ko is not easy to handle. If you are making this, you need to ensure that you are not adding excess water. Because the more water you add into the dōmyōji-ko, the softer your mochi would become. And so, it would be more difficult to handle. I won't wanna elaborate further on this. Do hop over to Alan's blog for more reference ok? :)

 

Max waiting patiently at the living room while I'm preparing Sakuramochi. He even asked me twice "Are you done yet?" After I finished making, I serve him the Sakuramochi, his face looked EXACTLY the same as this kitty!!!

(Photo Credit : Bits of Rock)

And he says "I don't like it wo" :(

Hahahaha!!!

Oh well, Max is getting old. He probably prefer some traditional food. Such traditional Japanese Wagashi is pretty new to him. I'm not surprised. But all in all, it is a good experience making this Sakuramochi. Thanks to Alan for the guidance :)


I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest #1 Oct 2013 : Japan, hosted by Alan from travelling-foodies