Directions

To Prep

1. In a large bowl, mix 30g shiratamako and 75ml water. Whisk well to combine so that there are no lumps of flour. We mix these two first, before adding the remaining dry ingredients.
2. Add 60g caster sugar and 50g joshinko, mix well with spatula. The sugar will make the dough watery. You should be able to see the bottom of the bowl for a second when you draw a line. Add more water to reach that consistency, if necessary.

To Cook

1. In a pot that is large enough to fit the bowl, put a steamer rack inside. Fill the bottom of the pot with water (make sure water won’t reach to bowl when boiling) and bring to boil. Once boiling, place the bowl inside. Wrap the lid with a kitchen towel so that the condensation won’t drop into the mixture. Cover the lid and steam for 12-15 minutes, until the mixture becomes mochi like – sticky, white, and thick when you mix with a wet spatula.

To Make Yatsuhashi

1. Spread some soybean powder on the working surface.
2. Cut the dough in half. Keep the other half in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap so that it won’t dry out.
3. To make the cinnamon flavour, flatten the dough and sprinkle 2 tsp cinnamon powder.
4. Knead the dough to evenly distribute the cinnamon powder.
5. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a thin sheet. Try to stretch it out into a rectangular (or square) shape, so it’ll be easier to cut into squares.
6. Create an 8 x 8cm square cardboard paper. Place on the dough and cut out with a knife. Sprinkle soybean powder in between the wrappers so they don’t stick together.
7. With leftover pieces, knead and roll flat again to create more pieces.
8. For matcha flavour, use the other half of the dough, replacing step 3 with 2 tsp matcha powder and 1 tsp cinnamon powder. Repeat the process.
9. Once you finish cutting the dough in squares, place 1 heaping teaspoon (15 g) of red bean paste at the center of the dough.
10. Fold into a triangle shape. If the dough edge won’t stick, wet it with water and fold to seal. Enjoy within 24 hours. Keep it in a cool room temperature and avoid putting in the refrigerator, as it will harden.