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Abekawa mochi (kinako mochi)
Mochi with roasted soybean flour
Soft, warm mochi rolled in sweet roasted soybean flour
Abekawa mochi comes from the banks of the Abe River in Shizuoka, where teahouses served it to travellers on the old Tōkaidō road, and today families all over Japan make it with leftover New Year mochi and at kagami-biraki on 11 January, when the offering cakes are broken open and shared for good health. Kinako, roasted soybean flour, gives a nutty, toasty sweetness, and its golden colour is said to look like gold dust, a wish for wealth in the year ahead. The mochi underneath is pillowy and stretchy. Serve with hot green tea, with a little black sugar syrup (kuromitsu) poured over if you like. Chef's tip: dunk the cooked mochi in hot water just before rolling, so the kinako sticks in an even, velvety coat.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 6 kirimochi (dried rice cake blocks)about 50 g each, halved
- 1 oz sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tbsp kuromitsu (black sugar syrup) (optional)to serve
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅜ oz kinako (roasted soybean flour), 1 oz sugar and 1 pinch salt on a plate until evenly beige with no streaks.
2 minStep 2: Bring a pan of water to the boil, add 6 kirimochi (dried rice cake blocks), lower the heat and simmer gently for 4–6 minutes, until the pieces are soft all the way through and slump when lifted with chopsticks. Common mistake: boiling hard, which melts the edges into a gluey mess.
6 minStep 3: Lift each piece out with a slotted spoon, let the excess water drip off for a second, then roll it in the kinako mixture until thickly coated.
3 minStep 4: Arrange on small plates, sprinkle with any remaining kinako and drizzle with 2 tbsp kuromitsu (black sugar syrup). Serve warm. Mochi is a choking risk: cut it into small pieces for young children and older people.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does abekawa mochi (kinako mochi) take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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