For 6 pieces:
- 45 gr 葛粉
- 30 gr sugar
- 100 gr water
- 6 ⨉ 15 gr あん
They are a bit finicky to make. You need to cook the 葛 half-way, so that you can form it around the あん. If you undercook it, it'll tear easily, if you overcook it, it'll be hard to form. Also, make sure the あん is quite dry, it's very odd to go through the soft 葛 only to reach something softer still.
- Mix sugar, 葛 and water. Colour if necessary. Sieve into pot, medium heat until the 葛 is dissolved. Turn off the heat and continue to stir until it is “half translucent”.
- At this stage, form a little ball with 2 spoons and drop that into cold water. Dry it slightly, then wrap around the あん.
- Steam for another 2-3' on a cloth, let cool and remove (with your hands, the chopsticks will tear it up).
Variations
- In TT8, they have one that is supposed to look like a flame, using 黄身餡 and a rose coloured 葛. They call it 「かがり火」. It's very pretty, but I find the egg-taste doesn't match my idea of 🔥 at all, so I'd like to try a burnt caramel-あん instead next time (or bitter citrus, fiery ginger, dried apricot).
- For the caramel: 50 g sugar + 15 g water to about 185°, then deglaze with 25–30 g boiling water to make a syrup, otherwise it'll be very hard to work the caramel into the 白あん.
- For the wrapping, it might be nice to replace the water with rooibos tea; I think this would suit the taste and concept quite well.
