Kashiwamochi are rice cakes wrapped in kashiwa (oak) leaves. Kashiwamochi are traditional Japanese sweets eaten on Japanese Children's Day which is May 5th. This day is Japanese boy's festival called tangonosekku. It's traditionally the day to celebrate and pray for the health of boys in Japan.
Japanese Sweets
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup joshinko rice flour
- 6 tbsps hot water
- 1/3 cup shiratamako flour
- 2 tbsps sugar
- 2 tbsps water
- 3/4 cup anko (sweet azuki beans)
- 8 oak leaves
Preparation:
Wash kashiwa (oak) leaves and dry them with paper towel. Put joshinko rice flour in a bowl. Add hot water in the rice flour. Knead the dough. Place a wet cloth in a steamer. Divide the dough into four pieces and place on the cloth. Steam the dough for about 20 minutes over medium heat. Remove the steamed dough to a bowl and knead well. Mix sugar and
shiratamako flour in another bowl. Add 2 tbsps of water in the flour and knead well. Mix the shiratamako dough into the steamed dough and knead together. Divide the dough into 8 balls. Flat each dough by hands and place
anko filling on the dough. Fold the dough in half to make a semicircular cake, sealing the edge. Repeat the process to make more rice cakes. Again, steam the rice cakes over high heat for 10 minutes. Remove the rice cakes from the steamer and let them cool. Wrap each rice cake with a kashiwa (oak) leaf.
