Hinakko Mochi
Ingredients
(makes 7)
Glutinous rice flour : 100g
Plain flour : 50g
Salt : 1 pinch
Hot water : 100ml
Food colouring (Pink/orange/green) : 1 drop each
Sweet red bean paste (‘koshian’) : 70ｇ
‘Hinakko mochi’ is made in Akita Prefecture’s Kakunodate, in Kawasaki city. People make them at home too for Hina-matsuri (Dolls Festival) and put them on the doll stand as an offering. In Kakunodate, a castle town, not only dolls passed down through many generations are displayed on the tiered doll stands, but also rare two-dimensional ‘oshi-e’ dolls. Prettily decorated hinakko mochi is perfect for Hina-matsuri. Give it a try.
Preparation
- Divide the red bean paste into 7 portions and form each into a ball.
- Cut 7 pieces of 4 x 4cm baking paper, or bamboo leaf if you can get it.
Method
- Put glutinous rice flour, plain flour, and salt in a bowl and combine. While stirring with chopsticks, add hot water and mix to form a soft, smooth dough (photo 1).
- Divide dough into six 30g balls and two 25g balls. Take one of the 30g balls and divide it into three. Add a drop of food colouring to each to create three coloured doughs – pink, orange, and green. Divide the green dough into two. Cover the dough you’re not working on with plastic wrap, as it dries out easily (photo 2).
- Take one of the green balls of dough and divide it into two again. Put these two on top of the two 25g balls of dough. Flatten one and wrap around a ball of koshian, then repeat with the other. Form these two into leaf shapes and carve the details with a toothpick (photo 3).
- Flatten each 30g ball of dough and wrap it around a ball of koshian. Use the remaining coloured dough to add flower decorations. There will now be two leaf mochi and five flower-decorated mochi. Place each on a bamboo leaf or baking paper square (photos 4 & 5).
- Steam the mochi for 10 minutes.
