Cup of Yum
1. Gather all the ingredients.
2. Place 3 pieces Japanese rice cake (mochi) in a toaster oven and toast until puffed up and slightly golden brown, about 10 minutes. You can also pan-fry, boil it in the water, or microwave. For microwaving, put a mochi in a bowl, add water to cover it, and microwave. If you use warm, fresh Homemade Mochi, skip the toasting step and move on to the flavoring step.
3. Once the mochi pieces are puffed up, gently smash them with your hand. From here, dress your mochi with roasted soybean flour, soy sauce, and sweet red bean paste.

To Make the Kinako Mochi (Roasted Soybean Flour)

1. Mix together 2 Tbsp kinako (roasted soybean flour) and 1 Tbsp sugar in a bowl. Prepare a small bowl with 1 cup hot water.
2. Dip the smashed mochi in the hot water, then dredge in the kinako mixture.

To Make the Isobeyaki (Soy Sauce with Nori)

1. Mix together 2 Tbsp soy sauce and 1 Tbsp sugar in a bowl. Microwave for 20 seconds to dissolve the sugar.
2. Briefly soak the smashed mochi completely in the soy sauce and sugar mixture. Then, wrap with 2 sheets of seasoned ajitsuke nori (dried laver seaweed).

To Make the Anko Mochi (Sweet Red Bean Paste)

1. Pull the smashed mochi from both sides and wrap it around a 1 Tbsp scoop of anko (sweet red bean paste). It’s sticky, so be careful when handling.

To Serve

1. Serve the mochi immediately while warm.