Mame daifuku (salted red pea mochi)

Mise en place — set out in the order it goes in

1. 

   Red peas30 g dryStep 1

2. 

   Anko150 g, in 6 ballsStep 3

3. 

   Shiratamako + sugar100 g + 15 g, pinch of saltStep 4

4. 

   Potato starchfor the trayStep 6

Prep order — what happens when, and what overlaps

Step by step

1. 

   1Soak the peas overnight

   12 h

   For this step

   • Dried red peas (akaendo)30 g
   • Baking sodaa pinch

   • Rinse the peas and cover them with plenty of cold water and a pinch of baking soda, which softens the skins.
   • Soak 12 hours. They should swell to about twice their size.

   

2. 

   2Simmer the peas with salt

   low~45 min

   For this step

   • Water, for the peas300 ml
   • Salt½ tsp

   • Drain, cover with fresh water and boil for 5 minutes to take off the bitterness. Drain and rinse.
   • Put them back with the 300 ml water and the salt, and simmer very gently, just enough to move the peas, for 30–40 minutes.
   • Taste one: it should be soft right through and clearly salty. They firm up as they cool, so err on the soft side.
   • Let them cool in their liquid, then drain and pat dry.

   

3. 

   3Roll the anko

   5 min

   For this step

   • Anko (red bean paste)150 g

   • Roll the anko into 6 balls of 25 g and set them on a plate in the fridge.

   

4. 

   4Mix the batter

   3 min

   For this step

   • Shiratamako (glutinous rice flour)100 g
   • White sugar15 g
   • Water120 ml
   • Salt, for the mochia pinch

   • In a heatproof glass bowl, stir the shiratamako and sugar together.
   • Add the water a little at a time, stirring and pressing out the lumps, until it's smooth and pours like thick cream.
   • Stir in a pinch of salt.

   

5. 

   

   5Microwave in three bursts

   ~3 min

   • Cover loosely with cling film. Microwave 1 minute at 600–700 W, then stir hard with a wet spatula. The edges will have set first.
   • Another 1 minute, stir again. It's now a sticky lump.
   • Another 20–30 seconds, until the whole mass is translucent, glossy and stretchy, with no opaque white patches. Stir once more.

   

6. 

   6Fold in the peas and divide

   5 min

   For this step

   • Potato starch (katakuriko)3 tbsp

   • Sift a thick layer of potato starch over a tray. Scrape the hot mochi onto it and let it cool for a minute or two.
   • With starchy hands, pat it out flat. Scatter half the peas over it, fold it in half and press it together.
   • Dust the top and cut it into 6 even pieces with a dusted bench scraper. Keep the other half of the peas for wrapping.

   

7. 

   

   7Wrap and pinch shut

   10 min

   • Take one piece and stretch it into a disc about 8 cm across with starchy fingers. Make the edge a little thinner than the middle.
   • Press a few of the saved peas into the side with the fewest, so they end up spread evenly.
   • Set an anko ball in the middle.
   • Pull the edge up over the ball in four or five pleats and pinch them together on top. Twist off any extra.
   • Turn it over so the seam is underneath, and cup it in your palm to round it.

   

8. 

   8Brush and serve

   2 min

   • Brush off the loose starch.
   • Serve the same day, at room temperature. Cut one in half with a wet knife to show the red peas dotted through the white mochi around the dark anko.