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How to Make Japanese Sakura Mochi (Naturally Colored)

Make chewy, soft, and springy Sakura Mochi with glutinous broken rice, red bean paste, and sakura leaves. A delicious and sweet Japanese dessert made right at home!
Author: Remy Park

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sweet glutinous rice
  • 3/4 cup filtered water
  • 1 tsp beetroot juice
  • 1/2 tsp sakura powder
  • 2 tsp organic cane sugar
  • 1/4 cup red bean paste chilled
  • 4 pickled sakura leaves

Instructions

  • First begin by preparing your rice. Soak your rice overnight in cool water, making sure there's ample water on top of the rice (so that all grains are covered).
  • Mix together water, beetroot juice, sakura powder and cane sugar and set aside.
  • Soak your sakura leaves in warm water and let sit while you work on the rice.
  • Drain the rice and remove all excess water then transfer to a food processor. Pulse a few times to break down, but avoid pulsing too much. You want coarse, broken rice, but not a flour.
  • Add the broken rice to a large, microwave safe bowl and add your beetroot water mixture to the bowl. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and microwave for 2 minutes. Mix with a spatula, cover and microwave for another 2 minutes. Rice should be nice and sticky, and you should be able to pull it away from the sides of the bowl with the spatula.
  • Divide the rice into 4-5 equal parts and using damp hands, roll each piece into balls. Cover with a damp towel when not in use.
  • To assemble, grab one portion of mochi rice, flatten into a large circle in your hands and scoop about a tablespoon of red bean paste into the center. Fold edges around the center and tightly press so that no red bean paste escapes.
  • Take a sakura leaf, pat dry and wrap your mochi with the veins and stem facing outwards.
  • Repeat until all of the rice has been used! Let the mochi sit for about 10-15 minutes to absorb the sakura leaf flavour and enjoy.

Notes

Secrets to Success

  • I like to fill sakura mochi with sweet and nutty red bean paste. However, you can use a different filling if you like. Try sweet white bean filling or even peanut butter. The choice is yours!
  • Though these mochi get most of their flavor from the sakura leaves, you don't actually eat the leaves. The flavor seeps into the mochi.

Shaping Red Bean Mochi

Shaping and filing these mochi can be quite tricky. Often to make things a bit easier, people use plastic wrap. But I find that if you keep your hands wet, it's actually quite easy to work.
The signature look is to wrap your mochi balls with a sakura leaf, vein side up, however, you can also add a fresh sakura blossom on top and skip the sakura leaf.
It's usually a good idea to let the mochi sit and absorb the leaf flavor for some time before serving.

Serving & Storage Tips

These cute leaf-wrapped mochi are best served fresh. Mochi doesn't do very well when refrigerated, but if you're making the mochi ahead of time, you can freeze or refrigerate and then revive it by microwaving.