Ohagi (Botamochi), A Traditional Japanese Sweet

Ohagi (Botamochi) is another tasteful Japanese wonder. For fans of glutinous rice sweets such as the mochi doughnut and chocolate mochi recipe, you’ll surely love this one. It is a treat traditionally eaten during spring and autumn. However, you can satisfy your sugar craving and enjoy it at any time with our simple Ohagi recipe!

Jump to:

• What is Ohagi made of?
• Botamochi Vs Ohagi
• Ingredients to make sweet Japanese rice balls
• How To Make Ohagi
• Ohagi Recipe | Botamochi
• Cooking Tips
• How To Store
• Calories 

What is Ohagi made of?

This Japanese sweet is made of glutinous rice and red bean paste. Usually, cooks will sprinkle the top with red bean paste, soybean flour, and sesame seeds. Besides using bean paste for sprinkling, it can also be the filling.

The confection comes in several types. The first one is Anko, which is made from boiled adzuki beans and sweetened with sugar. This is the standard version of botamochi, and it is often served with Japanese tea.

Other common variations are Kinako and Kurumi. You use soybean flour and sugar to make the Kinako type. Kurumi calls for the use of soybean flour and ground walnuts. Similar to Anko, locals sweeten these flours with sugar to add flavour.

The Japanese usually coat the mochi balls with Azuki red beans, as their surface appearance resembles a Hagi flower. Those in fishing villages also make the confection with seaweed sprinkled over it.

Botamochi Vs Ohagi

The difference between the two is essentially the name. The Japanese call this treat Ohagi in autumn, inspired by the autumn bush clover, Hagi. During springtime, they call this dish Botamochi. Such a name comes from the spring flower Botan, a peony.

Another difference is the filling. The red beans are freshly harvested in autumn and are very soft. Because of that, Ohagi’s filling is chunky and comes with bean peels. On the other hand, Botamochi’s filling doesn’t include peels. This is because they harden by springtime and can be peeled off to make smooth bean paste.

Ingredients to make sweet Japanese rice balls

Here is a breakdown of each ingredient you’ll need to make this traditional Japanese sweet treat.

• Glutinous rice flour: It’s sticky and sweet rice grown in Southeast Asia. They are also known as mochi rice. You can find them in most Asian supermarkets.
• Regular short-grain rice: Any kind will do, but we recommend Japanese short-grain rice for the Ohagi recipe. Mixing the glutinous and regular rice will keep the texture of the wagashi softer and chewier.
• Adzuki bean paste: You can either make or buy the paste from your local Asian supermarkets. The store-bought version can be more convenient, but making red bean paste from scratch is also fun and easy. Boil the red beans and mash them into a paste to make it from scratch. Then, add some honey and sugar.
• Soybean flour: You may purchase this ingredient if you wish to have different coatings for your wagashi. Otherwise, you can omit this ingredient.  
• Sesame seeds: For coating.
• Sugar: As a sweetener.
• Salt: Adding salt to the soybean flour and sugar mixture will enhance the flavour.

How To Make Ohagi

Making the wagashi involves three steps.

1. Cook the glutinous and regular rice together.
2. Pound and shape them into rice balls.
3. Coat them with red bean paste.

You can also make the paste as filling and coat the botamochi with your coating of choice.

Cooking Tips

Here are some cooking tips for making ohagi and botamochi.

How to cook rice for botamochi

The rice ratio should be ¾ of mochi rice and ¼ of regular rice. This ratio maintains the ideal texture of the wagashi.

Soak the rice in water for an hour to quickly cook and become nicely sticky. 

The water used should be x1.2 the weight of the rice. However, cooking mochi rice with a little less water is better.

Only pound or mash the rice partially. It gives the Ohagi its distinct feature of having a noticeable rice texture when you bite into it. Moreover, partially mashed rice will also make it tastier. 

How to shape ohagi

It is best to shape the pounded rice into balls while still warm. Wet your hands with salt water to prevent them from sticking to your hands.

If you want the sizes of the different flavoured ohagi to be the same, then we recommend making a smaller rice ball for the ones with anko. The anko paste will make the ohagi bigger compared to the kinako and black sesame filling.

Use plastic wrap to create a thin layer of the anko and wrap it around the botamochi. When wrapping it by hand, rotate the anko clockwise with your left hand. At the same time, push the rice ball into the anko with your right fingers.

Save some black sesame seeds and soybean flour for reapplication of the coating. After 10-15 minutes of the first coating, the botamochi's colour will darken and turn spotty. Therefore, you must reapply the coating to make it more presentable.

How To Store

The Japanese sweet is not suitable for refrigeration. It will lose its softness and chewiness at low temperatures. Therefore, you should enjoy it within 12 hours. Cover the container with a thick towel if you still want to keep it in the refrigerator. This will protect it from the cold air.

You can also freeze the sweets for up to a month. Once you're ready to eat them, defrost them overnight in the refrigerator. To bring back their soft and chewy texture, reheat them gently in the microwave to warm them.

Calories 

A serving of this traditional confection contains 180-250 calories. It is not a low-calorie dish, but it makes a perfect dessert or afternoon snack.

Interested to learn more about Japanese mochi recipes? Check out our guide on how to make mochi doughnuts, also known as Pon de rings. Otherwise, follow us on Instagram @honestfoodtalks to get more daily food inspirations.