Zunda Mochi: Rice Cake Sweets with Green Beans
Several days ago, I wrote an article about the type of Dango, where I introduced “Zunda Dango (ずんだ団子)” as a popular Japanese rice dumpling.
As mentioned there, “Zunda (ずんだ)” is a paste made by mashing green beans, such as Edamame soybeans, peas, and kidney beans.
The mashed green beans are then sweetened with sugar and often used for Dango rice dumplings and Mochi rice cakes to cover.
Zunda Mochi (ずんだ餅)
The Mochi covered with sweet Zunda green bean paste is called “Zunda Mochi (ずんだ餅)” which is a regional specialty of Miyagi Prefecture, especially Sendai City.
Recipes
As shown above, Japanese home cooks usually use Edamame green soybeans to make a Zunda paste.
Here, for those who are interested in this Wagashi confection of Sendai, I will introduce 2 quick and easy Zunda Mochi recipes using green soybeans.
Note that cooked Mochi is very sticky and stretchy. So when eating, please be cautious not to choke on it.
Simple Zunda Mochi Recipe
Image: cookpad.com
The first recipe is very simple like this. Just with these 2 steps, you can easily enjoy Zunda Mochi.
- Chop up green soybeans with sugar into small pieces.
- Put the bits on steamed Mochi rice cakes.
Easy Authentic Sendai Zunda Mochi Recipe
Image: Rakuten Recipe
If you want to try a more authentic Zunda Mochi recipe, the following from Rakuten Recipe is recommended.
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Green soybeans (Edamame) | 200 grams |
| Sugar | 2 tablespoons |
| Salt | A little |
| Mochi | 4 cakes |
- Boil the green soybeans in a pot of water until tender.
- Remove beans from the shells and peel them.
- Mash the peeled soybeans in a mortar halfway and add the sugar and salt.
- Continue mashing the beans until nearly smooth.
- Wet both sides of Mochi with water.
- Place the Mochi on a plate and loosely wrap in a plastic wrap.
- Microwave the Mochi for several ten seconds until soft.
- Cover the soft heated Mochi with the prepared Zunda paste.
- Now it’s ready to eat. Enjoy!
