Kusa-mochi

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glenn tips

He doesn’t use katakuriko at all for kusamochi. He just keeps his hands really wet to work with it. And somehow, it doesn’t stick to the bottom when he places it on the tray?
He uses a lot of yomogi, and it comes out very dark. My recipe is 1 tbsp. Maybe I should try 2 tbsp.
For his yomogi, he reconstitutes it in a hot water slurry for 15m before using.

Followed the Wagashi Lady book recipe. Notes:

This is a very dry mochi. Yes, it sucks. Yes, it will work.
Added just a tiny bit of “Leaf Green” gel before cooking. Still turned out a little too blue. Need to figure this out.
1 tbsp yomogiko came out to be 1.9g.
IMPORTANT: It really should be steamed!
- Because it’s so dry, it doesn’t get really stretchy like usual. And it can’t really be stirred.
- I microwaved it successfully (1m + 1m + 1m + 30s + 30s iirc?), with stirring in between, but that was pretty difficult. It gets really dense.
- Once you’re done cooking it, you need to knead it in a wet sarashi until it’s glossy.
After it’s kneaded and in a big ball, it can sit like that for a while.
Tear off 30g chunks with wet hands (mitsu would be better than pure water), then fold the chunks in on themselves until they have a nice skin. Then, put them upside down on a katakuriko-dusted surface so that the nice skin stays down. (It can go on this pretty wet; the katakuriko will dry it anyway).
The recipe suggests 5-6cm wide and 7-8cm tall. Really do this, don’t go bigger. It will feel like it’s going to be too small. It will work, believe. Also do make sure to have a little extra length.
When forming, place the anko right at the very bottom. The goal is to have the top portion hang over in a big lip.
Go easy on the kinako! Just a little bit is fine. Kinako flavor is really strong, and it will easily overpower the yomogi if you’re not careful.