Sakura-mochi (rice cake with bean paste wrapped in a preserved cherry leaf) ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

1. Heat “Sarashi- An”, sugar, and water in a saucepan, and knead the mixture with wooden spoon.When a bean paste is made, roll into 8 pieces.

2. Put shiratamako (glutinous rice flour) in a bowl and sift. Add sifted wheat flour, sugar and salt into the sifted shiratamako, then add water and mix well to make a batter.

3. Add food coloring to half of the batter and make it pink. Add a small amount of water to the red coloring and blend it into the batter, adjusting the color as needed.

4. Lightly oil the surface of a frying pan and fry 4 oval-shaped rice pancakes over low heat.

5. While the rice pancake is still hot, wrap the filling of bean paste (from 1) in a “Sakura” -leaf that has been briefly blanched in hot water (the leaves should be lightly salted, as they are very salty).