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1
[To prepare the ingredients] Microwave the sake lees for 20 seconds, then strain.
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Sift together the cake flour and baking powder.
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Make 25 g balls of anko.
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Strain the sake lees, and mix in the sake until smooth.
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Add the sugar, then mix until well blended.
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Add the rest of the dry ingredients, then mix until it's no longer floury.
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Dust a metal tray with flour (not listed), then place the dough on top, lightly roll into a ball, then separate it into 20 pieces.
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Next, wrap the dough around the balls of anko.
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The anko balls should look like this.
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When wrapping, lightly spread the dough on the palm of your hand, place the anko on top, then stretch the dough around while pulling it over any gaps.
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The dough is quite sticky, but it will become hard if you use too much flour for dusting.
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Place the prepared manju on parchment paper cut into 5 x 5 cm square sheets.
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Fill a pot (steamer) with water, add about 1 teaspoon sake (not listed), then bring to a boil.
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Spritz the manju with water, then steam over high heat.
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It should take 13-15 minutes.
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The manju should be spaced about 5 cm apart or else they will stick, as they did in this photo.
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The manju on the left has not yet been steamed, while the one on the right has been steamed through.
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They should rise about this much.
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The surface will shine if left to cool at room temperature.
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20
By the way, they taste great fresh from the steamer!
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21
Since steaming is troublesome, I tried microwaving them.
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22
I microwaved them with a cup filled with water for 2 minutes.
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They came out dry, hard, and did not rise.
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24
The moisture also was drawn out of the anko paste--in short, it was a complete failure!
