We always want to incorporate things that are good for our bodies. How wonderful would it be if we could celebrate special occasions with delicious and healthy food? At "Chamisan's Kitchen," we will learn various seasonal recipes from Chami-san, who holds fermentation and dim sum cooking classes at home, on the theme of "Fermentation x Celebration." This time, we learned a chimaki recipe perfect for Children's Day. It's a triangular chimaki wrapped without using rush grass or string!
Blanch the bamboo leaves once and wipe off the moisture. Only do this if you are concerned about the smell of desiccants.
Put joshinko and brown sugar from A into a bowl and mix. Pour in hot water, being careful not to burn yourself. Stir vigorously with chopsticks, and once it's cool enough to touch, mix with your hands and form a dough.
Put shiratamako and brown sugar from B into a bowl and mix. Add water, mix with your hands, and form a dough.
Break A into pieces and mix into the bowl with B. The dough will be a little firm for steaming.
Roll it out with your hands and divide it into 6 equal portions.
Roll them into balls with your palms.
Wrap it with bamboo leaves. Please refer to the illustration for wrapping instructions.
Place in a steamer and steam over medium heat for about 10 minutes after boiling. It's done when the inside looks transparent.
If you don't have a steamer, you can use a steamer sold at 100-yen shops. Steaming time is an estimate. Please adjust the steaming time according to your cooking utensils.
When you open the lid, steam with the aroma of bamboo leaves rises. What a healing moment!
Freshly steamed, they are warm and the gentle sweetness and aroma of bamboo leaves spread in your mouth. Their smooth and chewy texture makes them easy to eat. The charm of this chimaki is that it can be made easily because it is wrapped without using rush grass or string.
If you are concerned about the dough sticking to the bamboo leaves, lightly coat the leaves with a neutral-flavored oil like rice bran oil before wrapping to prevent sticking.
Since the sweetness is reduced, it's also delicious to eat with a sauce like mitarashi dango. Mix 2 tablespoons of amazake and 2 teaspoons of soy sauce to make a sweet and savory sauce. Please adjust the amounts to your taste. This sauce is gentle on the body as it doesn't use sugar, so you can eat it with peace of mind.
【 A word from Chami-san 】
Joshinko makes firm dumplings, so gelatinize it with hot water to create smooth-textured dumplings. Be careful not to burn yourself. Enjoy making and eating these with your family to celebrate Children's Day. Making chimaki reminded me of when my sons were little.
Chimaki embodies the wish for children's healthy growth and has a meaning of warding off evil. In China, chimaki is considered a "symbol of loyalty," and children were fed chimaki in the hope that they would grow up to be loyal.
This Children's Day, why not try making chimaki yourself? It would be fun to knead the flour and roll the mochi together with your children. Have a wonderful Children's Day with homemade triangular chimaki!
This Children's Day, why not try making chimaki yourself? It would be fun to knead the flour and roll the mochi together with your children. Have a wonderful Children's Day with homemade triangular chimaki!
