Spring is rapidly flying out the window, and much to the chagrin of GTA residents everywhere, it's been a bad year for cherry blossom sightings. The erratic, cold start to the season led to a lack of flowers, instead with the trees skipping straight to leafiness. Nonetheless, I made one of my favourite sweets (and a favourite of my little sister), the beautiful and delicious sakura mochi. They differ from regular daifuku mochi in that they're made with whole rice grains as opposed to pounded, smooth mochi, and that they are garnished with aromatic salted cherry leaves.
The idea of obtaining salted cherry leaves might seem difficult, but if you can find a non-pesticide treated cherry blossom tree with young, small leaves, you can do it in minutes. The mochi themselves are also very simple, with the most crucial step being, in my opinion, letting the mass cool down enough before attempting to shape it into balls.
Make sure you use the mochigome rice, lest you end up with a mess that's either too sticky or not sticky enough. Also don't overdo the food colouring.... cherry blossoms aren't usually blood red (though that would be very cool).
Sakura Mochi
from Wagashi Maniac
200 g. Mochigome/ mochiko rice, rinsed well
Pinch of salt
300 g. Anko paste (non-fried red bean paste)
65 g. Sugar
160 ml. Water
Red food colouring
10-14 Salted cherry leaves (Sakura-ha) (recipe follows)
Soak rice in water overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, drain and crush the rice with a rolling pin or pestle until the grains are broken up, but not too small (most of the grains should be in halves). Spread in an ever layer on the bottom of a cheesecloth or other cloth-lined steamer or metal colander (anything with lots of holes for steam to get through). Set over a pot of boiling water and cover with a lid. Steam for 30-45 minutes, or until translucent and tender throughout.
Transfer the rice to a cool bowl and mix in the salt.
In a small saucepan, bring the 160 ml. water and sugar to a boil until sugar dissolves. Pour this syrup onto the rice and mix in well. Add a couple of drops of red food colour and mix in until the desired pinkness is achieved. This is done best with a large spoon or rice mixing paddle.
Wait for the rice to cool down and absorb the syrup completely, mixing periodically and keeping covered. In the mean time, divide the anko paste into as many pieces as you wish to make mochi (10-14, depending on what size you want) and roll into balls. Rinse the salted cherry leaves in cool water to remove excess salt.
When the mixture is completely cool, fill a bowl with water- you'll need this to keep your hands moist when handling the rice so it doesn't stick to you. Divide the rice into as many pieces as you have balls of anko paste and form spheres, then flatten them with the palm of your hand (use the water!). Place the anko in the centre, fold in half and roll back into a ball shape between your hands. Place the finished mochi onto a wet plate.
When all of the mochi are done, place a cherry leaf onto each one. Allow to set for about half an hour in a cool place for better texture.
Salted Cherry Leaves/ Sakura-Ha
12-24 young, small cherry blossom tree leaves, rinsed
about 1/2 C. Salt
Bring a cup of water to a boil and place in a pan or bowl. Next to it, prepare a bowl of ice-cold water. Using a spatula or strainer, quickly dip the leaves into the boiling water for about 10 seconds, then place in the cold water to blanch.
Sprinkle the bottom of an airtight tupperware container with salt. Make a layer of cherry leaves, then top with more salt liberally. Repeat until all the cherry blossom leaves are covered in salt. Top with enough water to cover the leaves, then put something heavy (like a saucer or other non-rusting object) on top of the leaves to keep them submerged. Close the lid and keep refrigerated for up to a year.
A personal fave!
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