Yatsuhashi

Steps

1. Gather all the ingredients.

2. In a large (microwave-safe) bowl, add 30 g shiratamako (glutinous rice flour/sweet rice flour) or mochiko (a scant ¼ cup) and 65 ml water (¼ cup + 1 tsp). Whisk well to combine so that there are no lumps of flour. We mix these two first before adding the rest of the dry ingredients.

3. Add 60 g sugar (¼ cup + 2 tsp) and 50 g joshinko (Japanese rice flour) (¼ cup + 2 tsp). Mix well with a spatula. The sugar will make the dough watery. You should be able to see the bottom of the bowl for a second when you draw a line. Add more water to reach that consistency, if necessary.

4. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the microwave. My microwave is 1400W and strong, so I reduced the power to half (P5) and then microwave for 1½ minutes (if you microwave is 600W then you should heat it for 3 minutes). Take it out and mix evenly with a wet spatula. Cover with plastic wrap again and microwave for another 1 to 1½ minutes (adjust based on your microwave wattage).

5. It’s ready once it becomes thick and sticky like soft mochi when you mix it with the wet spatula.

6. Place a steamer rack inside a pot that is large enough to fit the bowl with the ingredients. Fill the bottom of the pot with water (but make sure the water won’t reach to bowl when boiling). Bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, place the bowl inside. Wrap the lid with a kitchen towel so that the condensation won’t drop into the mixture. Cover the lid and steam for 12–15 minutes or until the texture becomes like mochi—sticky, white, and thick when you mix with a wet spatula.

7. Spread some of the 1 Tbsp kinako (roasted soybean flour) on the work surface.

8. Divide the dough in half. Keep one half in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap so it won’t dry out.

9. With the other half of the dough, flatten it and sprinkle with 2 tsp cinnamon powder.

10. Knead the dough to evenly distribute the cinnamon powder.

11. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a thin sheet. Try to stretch it out into a rectangular (or square) shape, so it’ll be easier to cut into squares.

12. Create a 3 x 3 inch (8 x 8 cm) square pattern with a piece of cardboard. Place it on the dough and cut out squares of dough with a knife. Sprinkle more soybean powder in between the wrappers so they don’t stick together.

13. With the leftover pieces, knead and roll flat again to create more squares.

14. Combine 2 tsp matcha (ceremoial or culinary grade) and 1 tsp cinnamon powder. Whisk well together.

15. Flatten half of the dough that you kept in the bowl and sprinkle the matcha/cinnamon powder over the dough as you knead.

16. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a thin rectangular sheet. Try to stretch it out into a rectangular or square shape, so it’ll be easier to cut into squares. Cut the dough into squares.

17. With the ⅔ cup sweet red bean paste (anko), place 1 heaping teaspoon (15 g) of red bean paste in the center of each dough square.

18. Fold in half diagonally into a triangle shape and press to seal the edges. If the dough edge won’t stick, wet it with water and press to seal. Enjoy within 24 hours.

19. Just like other mochi desserts, Yatsuhashi will become hard and dry when it‘s stored in the refrigerator. Keep them in an airtight container and store at a cool room temperature.

20. Roll out the dough thinner and cut into strips ¾ x 2¼ inches (2 x 6 cm). Bake them at 300ºF (150ºC) for 15–20 minutes. If you prefer it to be more crispy, keep it in the oven a little longer. When they are crispy, remove them from the oven and let them cool.