Yatsuhashi

Yesterday felt...lucky. I sipped Mexican hot chocolate in a coffee shop with a friend, went on an amazing, overwhelming asian grocery store adventure with my sister (You don't even know how many things I'm going to be crossing off my ingredients list) and caught up with another friend I hadn't seen in a while over pizza bagels. Mm. It's the buildup of small things that bring me joy. 

 

Pictured above is one of the exciting things I bought: roasted soybean powder, also known as kinako. It has a nutty flavor and aroma which some say is similar to peanut butter, but I think it has a special, unique flavor. I'm not exactly sure if there's a specific, traditional thing kinako is used for, but I hear it's good for sprinkling on buttered toast, whipping into frosting, and even made into a beverage. Possibilities! 

Nama Yatsuhashi

The recipe I decided on was Yatsuhashi, a Japanese souvenir sweet famous in Kyoto. It's mochi based, made with cinnamon and sugar and think rolled in a kinako cinnamon mixture. It can either be eaten "raw" with filling (nama yatsuhashi) or baked into a puffy cookie (yaki yatsuhashi). I think I preferred the baked kind, they were really crispy and delicious, whereas the raw variety was a biiiit gummy. Try and roll out the dough as thin as you can, even though it's a pain. Try these out, expand your horizons! 

Yaki Yatsuhashi

Yatsuhashi

by Just Hungry

100 grams mochiko rice flour

60 grams brown sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

85 grams water

3 Tbs. kinako powder

2 Tbs. Ground cinnamon

peanut butter, nutella, anko, whatever, for filling

Procedure:

1. In a microwavable bowl, mix stir mochiko flour, sugar, cinnamon, and water

2. Microwave on High for 1 minute. Mix well. Microwave for an additional 1 minute 30 seconds. Mix well again

3. Wrap the dough in plastic (will be very sticky! I dusted the plastic with kinako before so it would be easier to remove)

4. Knead dough until smooth and comes together

5. In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and kinako

6. Dust a cutting board with the kinako-cinnamon mixture and roll out the dough until thin

7. Cut into squares (mine were about 2 inches x 2 inches

8. Wet two adjacent sides with water, and place 1/2 teaspoon of tsubuan or filling inside.

9. Fold the square into a triangle. Enjoy!

*Variation:

For yaki yatsuhashi instead of cutting in to squares, use a cookie cutter (or knife) to cut the dough into cute shapes (or non-cute shapes). Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave in the oven for 15 more minutes.