Oshiruko

Method

1. 1 Soak red beans for 8 hours, then boil them for 5 minutes and drain off the bitter water.
2. 2 Cook the beans for 55 minutes until they are completely soft, then mash and strain them through a sieve to make a smooth koshian.
3. 3 The distinguishing feature of oshiruko is the removal of the bean hulls through a sieve, which is how it differs from whole-bean zenzai.
4. 4 Boil koshian with sugar and water until it becomes a thin, drinkable tea.
5. 5 Knead glutinous rice flour with water to form shiratama balls, then boil them until they float to the surface.
6. 6 Pour hot tea into a bowl, drop in a shiratama ball, and sprinkle with a little salt and matcha powder.

With an appliance

• Pressure cooker 53 min

  Replace step 2: cook the drained red beans under high pressure for 18 minutes, then release the pressure naturally for 10 minutes; this reduces the cooking time to approximately 27 minutes compared to the usual 55 minutes, resulting in evenly soft beans down to the core without needing to monitor the water level. After opening the lid, retain the grinding and filtering steps to create smooth koshian.