Nerikiri Wagashi

Ingredients

• 300g dried white beans (shiro ingen mame or navy beans)
• 200g granulated white sugar
• 30g gyuhi (mochi rice dough) or 2 tablespoons cooked glutinous rice flour paste
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 teaspoon pink natural food coloring (beet powder or sakura extract)
• 1/4 teaspoon green natural food coloring (matcha powder)
• 1/4 teaspoon yellow natural food coloring (gardenia extract or turmeric)
• Potato starch or cornstarch for dusting hands

Instructions

1. Soak the dried white beans in cold water overnight for at least 12 hours, then drain and rinse them thoroughly.
2. Place the soaked beans in a large pot and cover with fresh cold water by 5cm. Bring to a boil over high heat, then drain and rinse the beans to remove bitterness.
3. Return beans to the pot, cover again with fresh cold water, and simmer over medium-low heat for 60 to 90 minutes until the beans are completely soft and can be easily mashed between fingers.
4. Drain the cooked beans thoroughly and while still hot, press them through a fine mesh sieve or food mill into a large bowl to create a smooth paste, discarding any skins.
5. Transfer the sieved bean paste into a clean muslin cloth or cheesecloth and squeeze firmly to remove as much excess moisture as possible until the paste is dry and crumbly.
6. Place the dry bean paste into a wide, heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the granulated sugar. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula, for 15 to 20 minutes until the mixture pulls away cleanly from the sides of the pan.
7. Prepare the gyuhi by mixing 2 tablespoons of glutinous rice flour with 2 tablespoons of water in a small microwave-safe bowl, microwaving on high for 30 seconds, stirring, then microwaving for another 20 seconds until translucent and stretchy.
8. Add the warm gyuhi to the white bean paste while it is still warm and knead thoroughly on a clean surface until the dough is smooth, pliable, and does not stick to your hands. This mixture is the base nerikiri dough.
9. Divide the nerikiri dough into four equal portions. Leave one portion white, knead pink food coloring into the second portion, knead green food coloring into the third portion, and knead yellow food coloring into the fourth portion.
10. To shape cherry blossoms: take 30g of pink nerikiri dough, roll into a smooth ball, then flatten into a round disc about 5mm thick. Use a bamboo skewer or toothpick to press five petal indentations evenly around the edge, then gently pinch the center of each petal to define the shape.
11. To shape chrysanthemums: take 30g of yellow nerikiri dough, form into a dome shape, then use a moistened knife to make multiple shallow cuts radiating from the center outward to create overlapping petal layers.