>I watched a video with my daughter recently and there was a scene in which a
>group of young friends went to visit a Japanese woman who served them tea and
>something she called "Japanese Sweetcake." She said it was made with rice and
>beans.
Sounds like Mochi with Red Bean Paste to me. The dough is made from sweet
rice that has been soaked in water and then cooked and beaten into a
paste/dough. (This can all be accomplished by a very amazing machine). The
filling is sweet red bean paste. The dough is wrapped around the filling
and voila, Mochi! The process of making the dough is labor intensive by
hand and to my understanding is a holiday activity. The machine makes life
a lot easier but if you don't have access try your local Japanese market.
They will have mochi in every hue, filling, and variety imaginable. Even
Mochi Ice Cream. Check the fat content though-the ones I have bought have
really ranged in fat and calories.
Liza
>The 2 most common elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity
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