Written by graygrub
Wagashi; beautifully sculpted Japanese confectionary made from natural ingredients are usually served with tea. Typical wagashi include a combination of ingredients such as azuki beans (red beans), glutinous rice and flour, kuri (chestnuts), kinako (ground sesame powder) etc.
As a devoted manga reader and anime lover just like you, I have seen an assortment of 2D wagashi introduced and being eaten! The most typical ones I have noticed include anko (red bean paste / sweet red bean jam), for example: dorayaki (pancakes sandwiched with anko; Doraemon’s number one favourite food), anman (steamed red bean buns; given to Chihiro from Rin in Spirited Away, shared by Chizuru and Tohru in Kimi ni Todoke) and most recently, ohagi.
Today I will be introducing ohagi. Traditionally eaten during the Autumn Equinox (a public holiday in Japan), an ohagi is basically a sticky rice ball covered in your choice of anko, kinako (soybean flour) or ground black sesame seeds. A similar and almost the same wagashi, named botamochi are eaten in the Spring Equinox.
Featured in episode eleven of xxxHolic (and yes, I do realise I am behind in anime), Watanuki prepares trays of ohagi for Yuuko, Maru and Moro as a thanksgiving gift for ochugen (a mid year holiday for giving gifts as gratitude for daily service). Although watching the zashiki warashi using her special spirit powers pulling out the whole ohagi from Doumeki’s stomach was slightly disturbing, it was how Watanuki put his effort into making them from scratch and the oishii comments that won me over.
Needless to say, prepared a batch of ohagi myself, and it is quite an exhausting effort! Time is consumed slowly simmering the red beans and moulding the steamed rice into perfect oval shaped balls (except mine all queered shaped!).
Hopefully you will temporarily stop reading manga and watching anime (which may be near impossible) and try this out :)
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Anko (red bean paste / sweet red bean jam)
Makes approx. 400 grams
Ingredients:
- 100 grams azuki beans (red beans)
- 100 grams sugar (add less if you don’t want them that sweet)
- Water
Method:
1. Overnight preparation: Weigh the correct amount of azuki beans. Wash under a strainer and soak in cold water overnight.
2. Before using, wash the azuki beans again. Place the azuki beans in a small saucepan and fill it up 3/4 of the way with cold water. Bring to the boil over high heat, drain the water and replace with water.
3. Bring the water to a boil and reduce heat to a medium and simmer for 15 minutes. If the water just covers the azuki beans, add 1 cup of water.
4. Turn the heat to low and simmer until beans are soft (approx. 10-30 minutes).
5. Add the sugar and stir well. Turn the fire to high heat until nearly all the water has been evaporated (approx. 15-30 minutes). (There should be a layer of azuki beans and the liquid should be slightly thick.)
6. Start “squashing” the beans with a whisk or wooden spoon to form a paste. Turn off heat.
o If your paste looks too moist, return to the fire and stir constantly to avoid burning.
o The paste should be moist and soft to touch when warm. Chilling the paste, firms it.
o This recipe makes more than what you need for the next recipe, so halve it if you want, or reserve the paste in an air tight container in the fridge (lasts for 2-3 weeks).
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Ohagi (stick rice ball covered in anko)
Makes around 9 mini ones
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup + 1/8 cup mochiko (white glutinous rice)
- 1/8 cup calrose (sushi) rice
- 3/4 cup cold water (190 ml)
- A batch of anko (alternately, to save time, you can use packaged anko too)
Method:
1. Prepare the anko paste if you have decided to make it from scratch. If you are using packaged anko, then proceed.
2. Measure the correct amount of rice and wash and drain the water a few times.
3. Drain water and leave rice to dry for about half an hour. (Please watch one episode of anime.)
4. Transfer drained rice into a rice cooked bowl and add the water. Soak rice for another half hour. (Please go continue the next episode of anime you were watching.)
5. With the assistance of a rice cooker, steam the rice. When rice is ready, mix the rice so it loosens. Mash the rice gently.
6.
Glutinous rice balls (see picture to right)
Preparation: a bowl of cold water, warm sticky rice, chopping board lined with waxed paper.
Wet your hands and roll out evenly sized rice balls and place them onto the chopping board. Repeat until you have no more rice.
7.
adding and enclosing the azuki layer
Preparation: a bowl of cold water, sticky rice balls and chilled anko
Slightly wet the palm of your hand and spread anko on the circular part of your palm. Put the rice ball on top and gently squeeze your hand so the anko sticks to the sticky rice ball. If the anko is not enough to “close” the gap, add a bit more and roll it gently with both palms to ensure anko is evenly distributed. Repeat until all sticky rice balls are used up.
o If your paste is moist / or you do not want to get your hands dirty, spread an even layer of anko onto cling wrap and place the rice ball in the middle. Slowly wrap the anko around the rice ball and twist the sides tightly like a bon bon.
8. Enjoy eating your ohagi! :)
Itadakimasu!
