Cookbook:Tri-Colored Autumn Rice Balls

Tri-colored autumn rice balls (san-shoku ohagi) is a simple a tea sweet, which was at one time served during the autumn equinox celebration. The name comes from a type of bush clover that only blooms in the fall. Serve these rice balls with your finest cup of tea.

Ingredients

 * 3 cups prepared steamed sweet rice
 * ¼ cup toasted black sesame seeds, lightly crushed
 * 1 tablespoon sugar
 * 1 cup smooth Japanese bean paste (koshi-an), chilled
 * ½ cup roasted soybean powder (kinako) or toasted ground pecans

Procedure

 * 1) Mix sesame seeds and sugar in a small bowl.
 * 2) Moisten your hands with water and divide warm rice into 12 equal portions.
 * 3) Shape 4 portions into balls. Moisten a clean dish towel and squeeze it dry.
 * 4) Place 2½ tablespoons bean paste on towel; pat into a 4-inch circle.
 * 5) Place 1 rice ball in the centre of the bean paste circle and use towel to mould bean paste around the rice ball.
 * 6) Repeat this 3 more times, using another ½ cup of bean paste and the other 3 rice balls.
 * 7) Place these on a nice serving tray. Flatten the remaining eight rice portions.
 * 8) Form the remaining bean paste into 8 balls (about 2 teaspoons per ball). Place a bean paste ball in the centre of each piece of flattened rice and shape the rice around it.
 * 9) Mould these stuffed rice balls into oval shapes. Roll 4 ovals in the sesame-sugar mixture. Roll the other 4 balls in the roasted soybean powder. Add these to the serving tray.