Sweet Rice Dumplings
Submitted by tracey72653
Sweet rice dumplings (Japanese ohagi) blend cooked sweet brown rice with raisins and cinnamon, then roll the small balls in coarsely chopped roasted walnuts. A naturally vegan, no-sugar treat.
YIELD
9 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
40 minSweet rice dumplings, known in Japan as ohagi, are a wholesome, naturally sweetened treat traditionally made for the equinox. This version uses sweet brown rice and raisins instead of the more familiar red bean paste and white sticky rice, which makes it a hybrid that fits comfortably in a macrobiotic kitchen or as a sugar-free snack.
The character of these dumplings comes from the texture transformation. After the rice cooks low and slow for an hour, half the batch gets ground with raisins and cinnamon until it becomes a soft paste, almost mochi-like. Repeating with the second half gives you 9 small dumplings that hold their shape but pull apart cleanly. Roasted, coarsely chopped walnuts coating the outside give the bite contrast that defines the dumpling.
Moistening your hands before shaping is the small move that keeps the sticky rice from clinging to your palms.
Pro Tips
- Use sweet brown rice, sometimes labeled mochi rice or sweet glutinous brown rice. Standard brown rice won’t form the right paste.
- Roast the walnuts before chopping. Raw walnuts taste flat against the warm cinnamon rice.
- Don’t skip grinding the rice. Whole-grain rice mixed with raisins won’t hold together as a dumpling.
- Make ahead and refrigerate. Reheat briefly in a 350F (175C) oven to soften.
Variations
- Coat in toasted sesame seeds or kinako (toasted soy flour) instead of walnuts for a more traditional Japanese finish.
- Mash sweet potato or pumpkin into the rice mixture for a fall version.
- Drizzle with a touch of maple syrup just before serving for extra sweetness.
Ingredients
Directions
Bring water to boil in a 2-quart saucepan.
Add rice and salt, cover and reduce heat to medium.
Cook for one hour. (Check to see if more water must be added to prevent sticking.)
Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).
Mix half the raisins and half the cinnamon into half of the rice and process mixture thoroughly through a grain mill.
(If you do not have a grain mill, use a Champion Juicer with a grinder attachment or pound mixture into a paste in a wooden bowl.)
Repeat with remaining rice, raisins and cinnamon.
Place walnuts on a baking sheet and roast in oven and let cool.
Coarsely grind or finely chop walnuts.
Measure rice ito 2½ tablespoon portions.
Moisten hands and shape dumplings.
Roll each dumpling in walnuts to coat.
Serve immediately.
HINTS: To speed up cooking process, place rice in a pressure cooker with 2¼ cups of water and cook for 40 to 45 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool until pressure goes down.
Dumplings can be stored in the refrigerator for several days.
Reheat in oven when ready to serve.
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