Cherry Blossom Rice Cake 桜餅
Sakura mochi is a traditional Japanese confection made with sweet glutinous rice and cherry blossom leaves. It's the perfect springtime treat!
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 150 g sweet azuki bean paste (*1)
- 100 g Domyojiko (*2)
- 160 ml water
- 20 g sugar
- tiny amount red food colouring
- 6 pickled cherry blossom leaf
- 6 salted sakura flower buds
- ½ tsp gelatine leaf (Or 1/2 gelatine leaf 1.2 x 1.2 inch (3cm x 3cm))
- ¼ cup water
- ⅛ cup sugar
- 1 cup glutinous rice (*4)
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup sugar
Instructions
- 1
Soak the cherry leaves and cherry blossoms in water for about 20 minutes to remove the salt. Cut off the stems, spread them out on a paper towel, and cover with paper to keep them from drying out.
- 2
Make the sugar syrup for shaping by putting all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring it to simmer. When the gelatine has dissolved, turn the heat off.
- 3
Place 1 tablespoon of water from the water listed in the ingredients in a small bowl and dissolve a tiny amount of red food colouring. You only need a tiny amount as when it is cooked, the colour intensifies, and we want a subtle pink like the colour of cherry blossom flowers.
- 4
Pour the rest of the water and the dissolved coloured water into a pot and add sugar into the pot. Dissolve the sugar and then add the domyojiko into the pot.
- 5
Cook the domyojiko and the water over low-medium heat for about 7-8 minutes by constantly stirring with a wooden spatula to prevent it from burning.
- 6
Turn the heat off and put a lid on to steam.
- 7
Divide the cooked domyojiko into 6 equal portions.
- 8
Brush some plastic wrap sheet with the sugar syrup and place 1/6 of the cooked domyojiko over it.
- 9
Fold the plastic wrap over the domyojiko and flatten the rice into a round shape with your finger tips.
- 10
Place one of the prepared anko balls and wrap the anko ball with the cooked pink domyojiko.
- 11
Remove the plastic wrap and wrap it with a sakura leaf (wrap so that the leaf vein is on the outside, which is prettier) and top with a cherry blossom flower bud.
- 12
Repeat 6-9 steps for the rest of the ingredients.
- 13
Wash and soak the rice in 2 cups of water (not listed in the ingredients list) overnight. *5
- 14
After the rice is soaked overnight, drain the rice and pulse the rice a few times in a food processor.
- 15
Steam the rice for 30 minutes over medium heat. *6
- 16
Place the water and sugar in a saucepan. Bring it to boil to dissolve the sugar. Add a tiny amount of red food colouring. Transfer the sugar water to a large bowl and set aside.
- 17
Add the steamed rice to the large bowl with pink colored sugary water. Stir the rice with a wooden spatula to let the rice absorb the pink coloured sugar water.
- 18
Divide the rice into six equal portions.