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Ohagi Recipe: How to Make Sweet Red Bean Rice Balls

Name: Ohagi Recipe: How to Make Sweet Red Bean Rice Balls
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: About 12
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 1 rice cooker cup (180 milliliters) of *mochigome* (Japanese glutinous rice, also known as sweet rice or sticky rice); Pinch of salt; 1 18-ounce can red bean paste

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Aug 29, 2024 • 2 min read

Ohagi is a traditional Japanese treat that is easy to make at home with a rice cooker.

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What Is Ohagi?

Ohagi is a type of wagashi (Japanese sweet) consisting of mochi that is filled or coated with anko (sweet red bean paste). Ohagi is traditionally eaten during the Buddhist celebration of Ohigan, which takes place during both the spring and autumn equinoxes.

The most traditional way to make ohagi involves shaping pounded rice into a ball and covering it with red bean paste. Ohagi can also be made by filling a sweet rice ball with red bean paste and coating it with kinako (soybean flour), black sesame seeds, or matcha green tea powder.

Ohagi vs. Botamochi: What’s the Difference?

Ohagi and botamochi are both traditionally eaten during the Buddhist celebration of Ohigan. While these two names are interchangeable in some regions of Japan, there are two key differences:

1. Season: In Japan, the term ohagi is used during the autumn equinox, while botamochi is used during the spring equinox. The name ohagi is a reference to hagi (bush clover), which blooms in fall. Botamochi gets its name from the Japanese word for peony (botan), which blooms in spring.
2. Texture: Botamochi are typically made with tsubuan (chunky red bean paste), while ohagi are usually made with koshian (smooth red bean paste).

Simple Japanese Ohagi Recipe

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makes

About 12

prep time

1 hr

total time

1 hr 30 min

cook time

30 min

Ingredients

1 rice cooker cup (180 milliliters) of mochigome (Japanese glutinous rice, also known as sweet rice or sticky rice)
Pinch of salt
1 18-ounce can red bean paste

1
Rinse the rice under cold running water.
2
In the bowl of a rice cooker, combine rinsed rice with about 200 milliliters of water (about 2 cups), which should come a little over the 1-cup mark of your rice cooker. Let the rice soak for 30 minutes.
3
Cook the rice on the "white rice" setting.
4
Prepare the red bean paste. Roll the red bean paste into 12 balls, each about the size of a ping pong ball. (You may not need all of the red bean paste.)
5
When the rice is cooked, transfer it to a heavy wooden bowl and pound it into a sticky paste with a wooden pestle, about 10 minutes. (If you don't have a wooden bowl and pestle, use a sturdy bowl and a wooden spoon or mallet.)
6
Prepare a bowl of lightly salted water. This will help you shape the ohagi.
7
Dip your hands into the saltwater and use your hands to form balls of sticky rice, about half the size of your red bean paste balls.
8
Flatten the red bean paste balls into discs and wrap each one around a rice ball, gently turning and pinching to cover completely. If the bean paste sticks to your hands, use plastic wrap to shape the balls.
9
Serve fresh.

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