Sakura Mochi Cherry Blossom Spring Confection Domyoji

Ingredients

• For the domyoji exterior
• 200 g domyoji-ko (coarsely ground sweet rice), soaked until just tender, slight chew retained
• 40 g caster sugar
• 160 ml water
• 1 small drop natural red food colouring or beet juice, to achieve pale pink only; very small amount
• For the anko filling
• 200 g tsubu-an or koshi-an (sweet red bean paste), ready-made or prepared; divided into 8 equal portions
• To wrap
• 8 salt-pickled cherry blossom leaves (sakura no ha), rinsed briefly under cold water if salinity is too strong; patted dry

Method

1. 1
   Soak the domyoji-ko in cold water for the time specified on the packet until the grains are just tender but retain a perceptible chew. Drain thoroughly. The grains should hold their shape and show distinct coarse texture — if they have dissolved to a smooth mass, they have soaked too long.
2. 2
   Combine the drained domyoji-ko with 160 ml fresh water and 40 g caster sugar in a heatproof bowl. Add the smallest possible quantity of natural red food colouring or beet juice — one drop, no more — and stir to distribute evenly. The target colour is pale pink, not vivid; hold the bowl to the light to judge. Transfer the bowl to a steamer and steam over vigorously boiling water until the rice is fully cooked through and cohesive, yet individual grains remain visible at the surface.
3. 3
   This is where the dish lives or dies: while the steamed domyoji is still warm and pliable, divide it into eight equal portions. Working quickly before the rice stiffens, flatten each portion in a damp palm to a disc of even thickness. Place one portioned ball of anko at the centre — the ratio of rice exterior to filling must allow the domyoji to close completely around the paste without the seam splitting. Seal the rice firmly around the anko, forming a smooth oval. If the rice tears or the anko forces through, the portion of filling is too large for that style.
4. 4
   Rinse the salt-pickled cherry blossom leaves briefly under cold water to temper the salinity; the fragrance should be floral with only a subtle background of salt, not aggressively briny. Pat each leaf dry. Wrap one leaf around each formed piece, positioning the leaf so its upper, more decorative face is visible and its stem end lies neatly at one end of the oval. Press gently so the leaf adheres to the surface of the sticky rice.
5. 5
   Rest the finished pieces at room temperature until the leaf fragrance has had time to perfume the rice exterior — a brief resting period allows the floral-briny aroma to migrate into the confection. Do not refrigerate: cold hardens the domyoji rice and dulls the cherry leaf fragrance. The pieces are ready when the leaf scent is clearly perceptible before the confection reaches the mouth.