Kashiwa Mochi, Japan 柏餅Kashiwa Mochi is a traditional type of mochi that is most commonly eaten during the Kodomo no Hi festival. Made from sweet red beans and mochi rice flour, it is a sweet and sticky treat. Enjoy as a snack or sweet treat, and remember to chew thoroughly. Ingredients: 0.45 lb (200 g) azuki sweet red beans 0.45 lb (200 g) joshinko non-glutinous rice flour Total Time: 30 min 9.5 oz (280 ml) water 8 oak leaves Course: Dessert; Snack Cuisine: Japanese Servings: 8 pieces Instructions: 1. Start by emptying the contents of the azuki tin into a sauce- Tips and Information pan and gently warming it up over low heat to thicken the ▷ Your rice flour and water mixture should be more watery than bean paste. solid before it is placed in the microwave. You can add more water 2. While the liquid is being removed from the azuki beans, mix while kneading if necessary and you may also need to change the the rice flour and water well in a bowl before covering the microwave cooking time depending on the power rating of your bowl and then heating it in a microwave on full heat for 4 min. own microwave. 3. Remove the bowl from the microwave and mix the contents ▷ For a bit of fun you can add food coloring to the flour, such as a again. Then put back in the microwave for 3 more minutes. tiny amount of red to make it Sakura iro (cherry-blossom colored). 4. Remove the bowl from the microwave – you should have a nice solid dough. Use your hands to knead the dough until it is soft and as smooth as possible, then split it into 8 equally- sized flattened pieces. Your dough should look a little like bread dough at this stage. 5. Take the azuki paste off the hob and allow it to cool before splitting it into 8 small pieces. Place the sweet bean paste onto the dough then fold the dough over and press around the edge so that the paste inside is fully sealed. 6. Lastly, once the dough has cooled down, wrap each piece of mochi with an oak leaf and serve. Remember, the oak leaf is just for decoration and not supposed to be eaten..