Our yatsuhashi recipe makes a sweet cinnamon mochi, which is a traditional Japanese dessert from Kyoto.
In our mochi recipe, we'll show you how to make nama yatsuhashi and the baked version. Our nama or raw cinnamon mochi, is filled with a sweet red bean filling. Meanwhile, our baked yatsuhashi recipe is crunchy and has a caramel sweetness.
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Nama Yatsuhashi Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you'll need for our nama yatsuhashi recipe:
- glutinous rice flour
- rice flour
- sugar
- water
- kinako (roasted soybean flour)
- cinnamon powder
Raw yatsuhashi is a steamed triangular-shaped rice cake with a sweet filling inside. Traditionally, the Japanese roll out the mochi dough and cut it into small square pieces. Then, they fold the pieces into triangles and fill them with oozing red bean paste.
Japanese rice flour (Joshinko)
Traditional recipes for this dessert will use Joshinko, a fine Japanese rice flour made from short grain. The finished product is less elastic than the mochi made from glutinous rice flour. However, as Joshinko is typically more expensive overseas, we used regular rice flour.
While the final texture was more stretchy, it was still as soft and smooth. So, we think the difference isn't noticeable.
Glutinous rice flour (Shiratamako)
We use shiratamako, Japanese glutinous rice flour for our cinnamon mochi recipe. Shiratamako gives us a softer and chewier texture than regular glutinous rice flour. Always get the ones with a coarse texture. Some pieces are as large as ⅛ inch or 3 mm. However, if you can't find Shiratamako, you can use regular glutinous rice flour.
Every recipe adapts different ratios to achieve its desired texture. For example, Japanese people use more glutinous rice flour in yatsuhashi recipes. However, some people still prefer the traditional taste, so they use more Josinko than Shiratamako.
Cinnamon
People use cinnamon to flavour this traditional Japanese dessert. Cinnamon is the original flavour of baked yatsuhashi crackers. Any type of cinnamon powder you can find at the grocery store is good to use.
Soybean powder
In this recipe, soybean powder is used as a dusting flour. It helps the dough become less sticky. You can sprinkle it on working stations and between wrappers.
Red bean paste
Red bean paste is made of Azuki beans. It is the most common filling in many Asian pastries and desserts, such as mochi.
We love how it tastes like a cooked sweet potato with added sugar. They also love how it compliments glutinous rice flour. Our recipe will use tsubuan, a chunkier red bean paste with whole beans.
Baked Yatsuhashi Ingredients
To make baked yatsuhashi, you will need the same ingredients as the raw version, except for red bean paste. We also use dark brown sugar instead of white sugar to add a caramel-like sweetness to the dough.
Baked yatsuhashi is the original type of this traditional Kyoto dessert. The Japanese bake it inside an oven until the mochi dough becomes hard cookies or crackers. Then, they use a round mould. It resembles a Japanese harp or bamboo stalk cut half lengthwise.
You may find it hard to bite due to its crispiness, but it has an addictive flavour that makes it a crowd favourite. It comes in different flavours. The most popular one is cinnamon. However, today, you can find stores selling all kinds of flavours, such as plum, lemon, matcha, taro and more. You can smell and taste it on your first bite.
Nama Yatsuhashi Recipe with Red Bean Filling
Ingredients
- 32.5 g glutinous rice flour or shiratamako
- 32.5 g rice flour joshinko
- 2 tablespoon white sugar
- 80 ml water
- 3 tablespoon kinako powder roasted soybean powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 9 teaspoon red bean paste anko
Cooking Instructions
- Mix the shiratamako (or glutinous rice flour) and water in a bowl with a spatula. Afterwards, add the sugar and joshinko (or rice flour), mixing these well with a spatula.
- Cover the bowl with cling wrap, then heat it in the 600W microwave for 2 minutes. After heating, take it out and mix it with a wet spatula. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap again, then heat for another 1 minute.
- Next, thoroughly mix soybean powder with cinnamon powder in a bowl before spreading them on the working surface.
- Place the dough on the working surface and cover it with more of the soybean and cinnamon powder mix.
- Flatten the cooked dough. Roll out the dough on a thin sheet using a rolling pin.
- Stretch it into a square shape and create a 3 x 3 inch (8 x 8 cm) square pattern. Place the pattern on the dough and cut it out with a knife.
- Once you finish cutting the dough, place one teaspoon of red bean paste in the centre of the dough.
- Afterwards, fold the dough into a triangle shape. If the dough edge won't stick, put a little water and fold to seal. Finally, enjoy your yatsuhashi within 24 hours.
Recipe Notes
- If you can find joshinko, you can use this instead of rice flour for a more authentic texture. Instead of shiratamako, you can use glutinous rice flour.
- When mixing your dry ingredients, you can check the bottom of the bowl to check the consistency. Then, you can add more water to reach the ideal consistency, if necessary.
- For 1400W microwave users, reduce the power in half, then heat for 1.5 minutes only.
- We allocated about 1 teaspoon of anko for each yatsuhashi piece.
- Remember that kneading is essential to ensure that your dough is smooth and flexible.
- Ensure that you knead and roll flat your leftover raw yatsuhashi dough to create more pieces.
- Use a brush to dust off any additional soybean powder and cinnamon powder on the snack's surface.
- Don't forget to sprinkle soybean powder between the wrappers. This will prevent them from sticking together.
Nutrition
Calories have been calculated using an online calculator. Nutritional information offered on Honest Food Talks is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimate.
Baked Yatsuhashi Recipe
Ingredients
- 30 g shiratamako or glutinous rice flour
- 10 g joshinko or rice flour
- 10 g dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 teaspoon soybean powder
- 45 ml water
For dusting
- 1 tablespoon glutinous rice flour
- 1 tablespoon soybean powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
Cooking Instructions
- Mix shiratamako (or glutinous rice flour) and water in a bowl with a spatula. Then, mix in the sugar and joshinko (or rice flour) until thoroughly combined.
- Cover the bowl with cling wrap and heat it in the microwave at 600W for about 2 minutes. Next, remove it from the microwave and mix again with a wet spatula. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and heat it for another 1 minute.
- Next, mix the glutinous rice flour, kinako and cinnamon powder in a bowl. Then, spread the powder mix on a clean kitchen counter.
- Flatten the dough. Then, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough onto a thin sheet. Stretch it into a rectangular shape (10cm x 30cm).
- Then, cut into inch ¾ x 2 ¼ inch (2 x 6 cm) strips. You will be able to make ten cuts out of it.
- Bake it for 10 mins at 160 degrees Celsius. Then, remove them from the oven, place each strip on a circular rod and press down on them to create a semi-circular shape.
- Place it back in the oven to then bake for another 10 minutes. Once done, let them cool and store them in an airtight container. Enjoy your sweet Kyoto yatsuhashi.
Recipe Notes
- Use your leftover dough. Pound and roll flat again to produce more pieces.
- For a caramel-like sweetness, change the white sugar to dark brown sugar.
- You can use cookie cutters to create fancy shapes for kids to enjoy.
- For crispier texture, you can leave them in the oven for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories have been calculated using an online calculator. Nutritional information offered on Honest Food Talks is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimate.
Substitutes
When some ingredients are not available, you can use the following alternatives.
- Joshinko: Any other Asian rice flour will work. Yet, you might achieve a different texture and flavour. This difference in texture is because they do not use Japanese short-grain rice.
- Shiratamako: You can use Mochiko, or glutinous rice flour which may be easier to find in supermarkets.
- Red bean paste: You can try Nutella, sweet white bean paste, peanut butter mixed with a bit of sugar or apricot jam.
- Soybean powder: Almond powder is a good alternative. However, it tastes a little different from soybeans.
- Cinnamon: You can try other flavours to spice up your mochi rice cake dough recipe. You can opt for matcha, chocolate powder, plum or mango.
How to Store
If you have some mochi desserts and ingredients left from your last meal, you can consider these tips:
- Keep your yatsuhashi in airtight containers like ziplock bags. Then, store them at a cool room temperature. Mochi desserts tend to become stiff and dry when stored inside the refrigerator.
- After removing the baked snacks from the oven, let them cool first. Then, store it in an airtight container to maintain its crispiness for up to three days.
- You can use leftover red bean paste and glutinous sweet rice to make botamochi in the future. Botamochi is also a sweet traditional Japanese snack.
- If you are craving a hot dessert soup, get your leftover red bean paste and make some sweet zenzai.
Origin Story
Two famous legends tell the story of where this traditional dessert originated. One is that the shape of the famous yatsuhashi bridge inspired a confectioner, who decided to make cookies out of it. This legend alludes to the specific meaning of yatsuhashi, which is 'eight bridges'.
The other is from a legend about how a blind monk influenced the famous Japanese dessert. His name was Yatsuhashi Kengyo. This man taught Japanese locals to save rice that sticks to the walls of a pot while cooking. His idea was to use the leftover rice to make mochi cookies.
After his passing, the locals honoured his life by creating these cookies. They are shaped like his beloved instrument, the Koto. Over the years, the Japanese souvenir industry introduced new varieties.
Calories
Baked yatsuhashi has about 26 kcal per piece, while nama yatsuhashi contains 50 kcal per piece. As it is gluten—and fat-free, it's a relatively healthy Japanese snack to enjoy.
If you enjoyed this treat, you might also enjoy warabi mochi, another traditional Japanese sweet.
Did you have fun making our Kyoto yatsuhashi recipe? If so, don't forget to share your experience on Instagram and tag us @honestfoodtalks so we can see your creations too.
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