Ohagi (Sweet Rice Balls with Red Bean Paste)

Instructions

1. Rinse the glutinous rice and Japanese short-grain rice together until the water runs mostly clear, drain, then put in a heavy pot with the water and soak for 30 minutes.
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover, reduce to the lowest heat and cook until the water is absorbed, 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it steam, covered, 10 minutes. (Or cook in a rice cooker on the regular setting.)
3. While the rice cooks, divide the tsubuan: shape 8 balls of 25 g for the filled pieces and 8 portions of 45 g for the coated pieces. Mix the kinako with the granulated sugar, and grind the toasted black sesame seeds in a mortar until coarse, then mix with the superfine sugar.
4. While the rice is hot, pound it in the pot with a wooden pestle or rolling pin dipped in the salted water until about half the grains are crushed and the rice is sticky but still grainy, 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool until comfortable to handle, about 10 minutes.
5. For the bean-coated pieces, with hands moistened in the salted water, shape 8 rice ovals of 40 g. Flatten a 45 g portion of tsubuan into a 3-inch (8 cm) round on plastic wrap, set a rice oval on it and use the wrap to close the bean paste around the rice. Repeat.
6. For the filled pieces, flatten 60 g rice in a moistened palm, place a 25 g bean ball in the center and close the rice around it into an oval. Repeat to make 8.
7. Roll 4 filled pieces in the kinako coating and 4 in the sesame coating until fully covered.
8. Serve the same day at room temperature with green tea.