Kirisensho ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

1. In a large saucepan, combine water, soy sauce, sugar, and salt and bring to a boil.

2. Add Uruchi flour to 1, turn off the heat immediately, and mix with a spatula until powdery.

3. Add sesame seeds to 2 and knead well by hand (about 100 times). Kneading can be done while the dough is still hot, but it is easier and more elastic if you cover the dough with a wet cloth and let it cool down before kneading.

4. Roll out the kneaded dough into bars, divide into 24 equal portions, and roll into dumplings.

5. Make a hole in the center of the dumpling with your thumb, add brown sugar and walnuts, close the hole, and form into a bale like an onigiri (rice ball). Put the dango into the kirisensho mold and place the walnuts on top. If the walnuts tend to stick to your hands, use katakuriko (potato starch).

6. Steam the dumplings in a steamer over medium heat for about 10 minutes. After steaming, turn off the heat and immediately pour water (not included) over the top of the kirisensho to tighten the dough and make it shiny.