Yashoma (Patterned Rice-Flour Dumpling)

Name: Yashoma (Patterned Rice-Flour Dumpling)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 95 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: rice flour 500 g; sugar 50 g; salt 0.5 tbsp; boiling water 370 ml; potato starch 10 g; aonori flakes 5 g; black sesame seeds 15 g; dried black soybeans 60 g; red food coloring 3 drop

Quick answer

Total time: 95 min
Level: Hard
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients: 9

About this dish

Every slice reveals a pattern built from green aonori, black sesame, black soybeans, and a red-tinted dough worked into rice-flour mochi.

In Nagano it was offered at home altars and temples for Nehan-e on February 15 and then shared with children. Strands of each colored dough are laid side by side, wrapped into a long roll, and creased with chopsticks into ridges and petals, and the order of the strands decides the final design. Cotton thread cuts the soft roll without squashing that pattern. Fresh slices are tender; pieces that firm up in the fridge are good toasted.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmount

red food coloring3 drop

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Instructions

7 steps

1

Rinse black soybeans without soaking and cover with 500ml cold water.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook 25 to 35 minutes until cooked through but still firm, then drain completely.
2

Combine 500g rice flour, 50g sugar, and 1/2 tablespoon salt.

Mix in 370ml boiling water in four additions with chopsticks. When safe to touch, knead 5 minutes to a smooth, earlobe-soft dough.
3

Tear dough into fist-size pieces and space them on a damp cloth in a steamer.

Steam over high heat for 20 minutes, then split the largest piece to confirm the center is translucent with no dry flour.
4

Lift the cloth and immerse it in cold water for only 1 minute.

Before the dough becomes cold, wring the cloth firmly, transfer dough to a bowl, and knead vigorously for 6 minutes until smooth and fully cohesive.
5

Divide the warm dough into four portions.

Fold aonori into one, sesame into one, and cooked black soybeans gently into one. Wearing gloves, knead 3 drops red coloring evenly into the last portion.
6

Roll colored dough into 2cm strands, place selected colors side by side, and wrap to form three 5cm-thick logs.

Press lengthwise with chopsticks to make grooves or petal shapes and dust very lightly with potato starch.
7

Let the surface settle 15 minutes at room temperature.

Slide cotton thread under each log, cross the ends, and cut to 8mm slices. Eat before drying; refrigerate leftovers airtight and grill once firm.