Kinako Mochi

Do you remember the days when your mom would make you mochi and you'd dip it in sugar and shoyu and then kinako?  I remember those days with a tender heart and lots of warmth!  What could be better than that?  Maybe this...Homemade sweet mochi with kinako on it.  Some of you may wonder...what the heck is "kinako"?  Well for those of you who may not have "kinako" memories, kinako is roasted soy beans that are ground into flour.  It's got an interesting, hard to describe flavor.  It doesn't really taste like soy beans or "edamame" to me.  There's almost a peanut buttery flavor to it.  And when you mix kinako with this homemade sweet mochi, it's magic!

Kinako Mochi

Ingredients:
1 1/2 C mochiko ( sweet rice flour)
1/2 C sugar
1 2/3 C water
1/4 C kinako

Directions:
1.  Mix together mochiko, sugar and water
2.  Pour the mixture into 9 by 9 pan sprayed with non-stick spray
3.  Cover it with plastic wrap
4.  Microwave on medium high (50 % power) for 10 minutes
5.  Pour onto a cutting board floured with more mochiko
6.  Flour the mochiko
7.  Let cool, then cut into pieces and shape into balls
8.  Roll each piece in kinako

Now it's time to enjoy my favorite type of sweet mochi!  Leave it to Chef Azuki to send me down memory lane and sweeten my day!

BeaNspiration:  The melding of two can become one wonderful wonder!