Easy Yatsuhashi Mochi in the Microwave

Nama yatsuhashi, Kyoto’s representative confectionary, are an evolved form of yatsuhashi, rice crackers seasoned with a mixture of cinnamon and kinako (roasted soybean powder). But whereas yatsuhashi are crisp and semi-cylindrical, shaped like long roof tiles, nama yatsuhashi are triangular folds of chewy mochi with a filling of anko (sweet red bean paste).

Nama translates literally to “raw,” but that’s meant here in a figurative sense, since while nama yatsuhashi are soft, the dough still has to be cooked. It turns out, though, that you can do all the necessary cooking in your microwave, and that nama yatsuhashi are pretty easy to make yourself, as Japanese spice company S&B posted a recipe for microwave-made nama yatsuhashi on their official website, and when we saw it we jumped at the chance to try it for ourselves.

Source

How to make Kyoto’s most famous dessert, nama yatsuhashi, with your microwave | SoraNews24 -Japan News-

Ingredients

Shiratamako (glutinous rice flour) (50 grams [1.8 ounces])

Joshinko (non-glutinous rice flour) (50 grams [1.8 ounces])

Sugar (60 grams [2.1 ounces])

Water (150 milliliters [5.1 ounces]) (or Ramune soda for "Ramune Yatsuhashi, alongside desired flavor oils, food coloring)

Cinnamon (2 teaspoons) optional

Kinako (roasted soybean powder) (3 tablespoons) or use fruit powder, blue butterfly pea powder, matcha powder, etc instead if desired

Tsubu-an (sweet red bean paste) (100 grams [3.5 ounces]) or use homemade Shiroan (white bean paste) in any color and flavor you want.

Directions

1. The above quantities are enough to make 10 pieces, so start by dividing up the tsubu-an into that many servings.
2. In a bowl, mix together the cinnamon and kinako.
3. Put the glutinous rice flour in a microwave-safe bowl and gradually add in half (75 milliliters) of the water, stirring the mixture enough to remove any lumps from the flour. Once that’s done, add the sugar, non-glutinous rice flour, and remaining water.
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and heat the mixture in the microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds at 600 watts.
5. Take the bowl out of the microwave and stir the contents again. Replace the wrap and put it back in the microwave for another minute and 30 seconds.
6. After its second stint in the microwave, the once-liquid mixture will now have a thick and chewy (or, as it’s called in Japanese “mochi mochi”) quality!
7. It’s now time to add the cinnamon and kinako, which you could do by sprinkling it onto the dough, but a more effective method is to instead spread the powder onto a flat surface like a large cutting board…
8. …put the dough on top of it…
9. …and then flatten the dough out with a rolling pin, since you’re eventually going to need to form it into sheets anyway. S&B recommends rolling the mochi dough to a thickness of about 2 to 3 millimeters (roughly 0.1 inch).
10. Let the dough cool, then cut it into squares of roughly 8 centimeters (3.1 inches) per side, using a knife or pizza cutter.
11. Place a dollop of sweet bean paste in the center of each square, then fold them into triangles.
12. Finally, if you’ve got any of the cinnamon and kinako left over, you can use a tea strainer to finish off your treats with a dusting of the mixture.
13. And with that, your nama yatsuhashi are ready to eat!