For this particular recipe, avoid the middle product from Imuraya. Shown above are different brands of koshian or sweet red bean paste (fine). You can also check your local well-stocked Japanese grocery stores. I got mine from this online shop that ships internationally from Japan. Joshinko (Japanese rice flour) – Read more below.Sweet red bean paste (anko) – We use koshian, a fine red bean paste.Kashiwa leaves (oak leaves) – Read more below.How To Make Kashiwa Mochi Ingredients You’ll Need For red bean filling, the back of the leaf (veins are more visible) faces outside, and the front of the leaf (smooth side) faces outside for the miso filling. These two flavors are differentiated by the black or front side of the oak leaf. How can you tell the filling inside? Take a close look at the oak leaf. I actually never tried the white bean miso version before.īoth red bean and miso-flavored kashiwa mochi look the same at the confectionery shops. Miso An (味噌餡) – Miso is mixed into shiroan or sweet white bean paste.Azuki An (小豆餡) – Kashiwa mochi stuffed with sweet azuki red bean paste is more popular and widely available.There are two kinds of fillings for kashiwa mochi: sweet red bean paste and miso bean paste. To this day, the western part of Japan enjoys the Japanese version of chimaki on May 5, Children’s Day while the eastern part of Japan enjoys kashiwa mochi ( source ). It is believed that chimaki originated from Chinese Zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), which is enjoyed on the fifth day of the fifth lunar calendar for DuanWu Festival (Dragon Boat Festival), typically late May or June. When the imperial capital was in Nara and Kyoto between the 700s and late 1100s (Nara & Heian period), many Chinese cultures and customs were adopted in western Japan. Unlike kashiwa mochi, these dumplings do not have any filings. In the Kansai region and the west of Japan, where the oak trees typically do not grow naturally, chimaki (ちまき, 粽) was served instead of kashiwa mochi.Ĭhimaki is sweet rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves. The origin of kashiwa mochi goes back to the mid 18th century during the Edo period and it was mostly enjoyed in eastern Japan. Plus, they elevate the presentation, yielding a stunningly beautiful sweet for the occasion. These oak leaves are not edible however, they impart a lovely earthy fragrance to the mochi which is really enjoyable. Since oak trees don’t shed old leaves until new leaves grow, the Japanese consider oak trees as a symbol of the prosperity of one’s descendants. You may wonder why mochi is wrapped in an oak leaf. Kashiwa mochi is a tender but chewy rice cake stuffed with sweet red bean paste and wrapped in a kashiwa (oak) leaf.
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