Ohagi & Botamochi
Ohagi is a rice cake covered with bean jam, soybean flour or ground sesame. The cake is named after hagi (bush clover), which flowers in the Autumn. Ohagi is made in the autumnal equinoctial week. When these cakes are made in the vernal equinoctial week, they are called Botamochi (peony cakes). My grand-ma, Kimi loved Ohagi and often made a lot of Ohagi.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200cc) glutinous rice
- 1/2 cup (100cc) non-glutinous rice
- 100g (=3 1/2 ozs) azuki beans
- 1 cup sugar
- a pinch of salt
- soybean flour
Directions
- Wash glutinous and non-glutinous rice for take away bran (see how to cook rice), and drain. Put into an automatic electric rice cookers, and pour 270cc water. Cook commonly and steam.
- Wash azuki beans well. Put them into pan and pour 2 cups water and heat. When water comes to boil, turn the gas down and boil for 2 or 3 minutes. Drain.
- Put boiled azuki beans into a pressure cooker and pour a cup of water. Set the lid and heat. When weight starts to turn, lower the flame and simmer for 8 minutes. Cool the bottom of a pot and take the lid. If you use normal pot, you simmer for 40 - 50 minutes until water almost boil down. Add a cup of sugar, simmer for 10 minutes and add a pinch of salt.
- Mash cooked rice with a wooden pestle. Wet your hands and put the cooked rice on your palm and make a ball. Make about 20 balls.
- Cover with bean jam or soybean flour. It is also good that cover with roasted and grinded sesame seads.
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