Ochamochi ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

1. Put the rice flour in a pot and heat over medium heat, stirring with a spatula, until it reaches the same temperature as human skin.

2. Transfer the rice flour to a bowl, add boiling water little by little, and stir with chopsticks. Once the dough has formed into large and small lumps, dust your hands with flour and knead the dough with your palms until it is as hard as an earlobe.

3. Divide the dough into several parts, fan them, and once they have cooled, put them all together and knead them again (for 10 minutes).

4. Divide the dough into 30 small dango, about the size of ping pong balls, and then skewer three dumplings from the thin end with a disposable chopstick that you have previously split from the other half of the pair. Make sure the tip of the disposable chopstick does not stick out from the top dango.

5. On a floured cutting board, flatten the dango by crushing them with your palms. Press both sides to make them thinner, but be careful not to make the parts where the chopstick is too thin or they will break later.

6. In a steamer with steam rising, lay down a wet cloth or parchment paper, arrange 5 without overlapping each other, and steam for about 8 minutes.

7. While steaming, grind the walnuts in a mortar, add some sugar and soy sauce, and mix to make the walnut sauce. The texture of the walnuts will be better if you keep it slightly grainy.

8. Once 6 is steamed, place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking, and cover them with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.

9. Roast 8 over charcoal or gas until browned on both sides, then spread the walnut sauce on both sides. It will taste a little too salty right after it's done, but the flavor will get better as time passes.