# Kurumi Mochi ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Kurumi Mochi

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Senshu area (Sakai City)

## Main Ingredients Used
Glutinous rice, edamame (soybeans)

## History, Origin, and Related Events
Kurumi Mochi is a traditional confectionery that is unique to Sakai. Despite its name, it does not contain any walnuts. The name "Kurumi Mochi" comes from the fact that the rice cake is wrapped in a brownish-red bean paste. It can also be written in Chinese characters as "久留美," which means to keep the taste for a long time. The bean paste is made from edamame or green soybeans, but in mountain villages where rice paddies are scarce, dried soybeans are used instead of edamame.During the Warring States Period, Sakai was a prosperous port for overseas trade. Confectioners in Sakai used agricultural products purchased from overseas to make rice cakes covered with red bean paste, which is said to be the origin of walnut rice cakes. The town was also the birthplace of Sen no Rikyu, the famous tea master of the time. The tea ceremony culture flourished among the wealthy merchants of the time, and walnut mochi were also loved as tea cakes.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
Walnut mochi is served at many Japanese confectionery stores throughout the city and is a popular daily snack. It is also popular among tourists as a specialty of Sakai City.

## How to Eat
Pound steamed rice cakes into small balls. After that, remove the soft-boiled edamame, peel off the thin skin, and blend them in a blender. Transfer the mashed edamame into a pot, add sugar and salt, and heat while stirring to make red bean paste. Next, add the rice cake to the red bean paste and mix everything together well. Sometimes soybeans or green soybeans may be used instead of edamame, and sometimes shiratama dumplings may be used instead of rice cakes.

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
Kanbukuro is a Japanese confectionery store that was founded at the end of the Kamakura period. It is known as the origin of walnut mochi and is still in business today, selling these popular treats. During summer, people line up to try the ice walnut mochi, which is a walnut rice cake topped with shaved ice. Many other Japanese confectionery stores also offer walnut mochi, each with its own unique flavor.

## Ingredients
- (Dried) soybeans: 200g
- Sugar: 75g
- Salt: 1 tbsp.
- Glutinous rice: 1.6 cups
- Water: 250cc

## Recipe
1. 1. First, wash the soybeans thoroughly.
2. 2. Put them in plenty of boiling water and let them simmer for about 1 hour and 30 minutes or until they become soft.
3. 3. Next, grind the soybeans in a blender to your desired consistency.
4. 4. Add sugar to the ground soybeans and sweeten to your desired level.
5. 5. Cook glutinous rice in a rice cooker.
6. 6. After cooking, steam the rice well, transfer it to a rice cooker, add salt, and pound it.
7. 7. Roll the cooked rice into small pieces, drop them into the walnut bean paste mixture, and mix thoroughly.

## Provider Information
provider : Yumiko Yamanaka

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