Kantan no Omochi

Omochi and daifuku is very popular in Japan. Daifuku literally means great luck from Wikipedia. Every year I never miss buying a pack of Omochi with mung bean filling from Kam Lun Tai during Mid Autumn festive season. This year, I made my own. Please mark down for the simple recipe.

Anko (Red Bean Paste)
Adapted from Nami from Just One Cook Book:

• 200g red bean
• 200g sugar (I used 150g only)
• A pinch of salt
• Water  (Enough to cover over the red beans to cook)
• 1-2 screwpine leaf (additional)

Method:

1. Soak the red bean over night (I soak for 2-3 hours only).
2. First, boil the red beans and cover the pot lid for 5-10mins.
3. Pour away the boiling water and remain the red beans in a sieve.
4. Cover the pot with tap water again and start boiling the red bean again with medium heat.
5. Cooking time approximately 1 and half hour or more.
6. Further steps, please refer to Nami's blog over HERE.

How do I turn the cooked red bean into paste? I used a food grinder to make it into a smooth paste. The ready red bean paste I prepared one day ahead and keep inside an air tight container in the fridge. Then, I divided it into a few small balls. It is easy to wrap with my Omochi (Glutinous rice balls) later. The leftover red bean paste I keep again in the fridge and it can last for a few days.

Here is my 9 minutes Microwave Easy Omochi recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2cups of glutinous rice flour
• 2cups of tap water
• 2cup of fine/icing sugar
• Some Pandan emulco or any flavour and colour you preferred
• Sufficient of Potato Starch or Cornstarch (I used potato starch because it is glutton free)

Method:

1. Add in glutinous rice flour and sugar in a microwave safe bowl.
2. Pour in the water and stir with a spoon to make sure there's no lumps and sugar is dissolved.
3. Add some Pandan emulco and stir again to make the colour even.
4. Wrap the bowl with cling wrapper. Poke 2-3 holes to release air
5. Just place inside the microwave for 9 minutes ONLY. Yes, it is only 9mins!!!
6. I got the idea from YouTube HERE.
7. Once the Omochi is ready, just take the cling wrapper away and you will see Omochi texture just like the photo below.
   The cooked Omochi is moist not dry, bouncy and slightly sticky texture...While it is hot, try to scrap from the  side and pour out onto a wide tray which is powdered with potato starch like photo shown below.

The Omochi dough do not required to knead again. Covered the dough with potato starch. One hand used a scrapper and another hand uses the scissors to cut the dough into equally pieces. Then used my thumbs and fingers press and turn to make a round and flat dough in order to wrap the red bean filling.

Here you goes, soft and QQ Omochi with red bean paste filling. Then,I use a circular motion to make the Omochi round, just like making glutinous rice ball. Gently sifted some potato starch over the Omochi. When, all the Omochi is wrapped I rub off some of the excessive starch away and it can be kept inside the fridge.

Omochi can be decorate with pumkin seeds, black and white sesame seeds and here I sprinkle some CHIA SEEDS.

After I made, I brought some over to my mum place for her to pray on the Mid Autumn Festival night. She said nice and asked me where I get the recipe from. She also noted that it taste good. Ho Chiak!

DO TRY OUT THE SUPER EASY WAY OF MAKING OMOCHI!