Recipe for Celebrating the Autumnal Equinox/Ohigan (Patreon)

I've really been wanting to do another recipe and ohigan/the Autumnal Equinox just felt like the right time to do it. So the above photo is what the cookbook says they are supposed to look like. Be ready for a big surprise at the end when you see mine! 

They're a kind of dorayaki with a difference. 

*First the ingredients (outside): 

6 Tablespoons of sugar

2 Teaspoons of miso (I accidentally used tablespoons in mine, nice and miso-y!)

1 egg

1 Teaspoon of mirin

2 and 1/2 Tablespoons of water

8 Tablespoons of cake flour (I think All-Purpose might work fine)

1/8 Teaspoon of baking soda

Black sesame seeds (I didn't have any *sad face*)

If you have some kind of edible herb for decoration (Italian parsley or thyme would work the recipe says, but I don't know...) 

*Ingredients (filling): 

White bean filling/white anko/shiro an

Matcha or kinako (to flavor the anko)

I had made some white anko paste awhile ago and had it frozen, so I used that. Just mix it with either the matcha powder or kinako powder or you can use as is really. 

Or if you want and can get any, red bean paste, or some kind of custard, or whipped cream could also all be used for a filling. I actually had some whipped cream in the fridge so I added that. 

Below is everything pre mixing. The miso is homemade so very chunky.

After you mix well, heat up a fry pan and spread a thin layer of oil on it. Pour in a spoon of batter to make wee little pancakes. 

(Again, the stuff you see in mine is miso parts, beans.)

If you're going to use an edible leaf or herb on top, of course, put that down first and then pour the batter over it. I didn't have anything but thyme and that just didn't sound like it would taste good. So I cooked them as is.

Cook them on medium to low heat just like you would pancakes. When the middle starts to bubble flip them. 

Finished they look like this. 

Note: I came out with an odd number. Oops. 

Below is what my white bean paste with matcha looked like. Again, it was homemade so lumpy. Usually shiro an or white anko is smooth. Either is fine. 

In Japan, everyone has their preference. Do you like smooth anko (koshi an) or lumpy anko (tsubu an)? 

Let the little pancake thingies cool. I didn't really wait too long, should have. Then smear them with whatever filling you have.

And make a sandwich! Or dorayaki. I put a squirt of whipped cream as mine were a tad salty from too much miso.

And then because I didn't have those pretty little leaves to decorate them with (like that first photo shows), I dusted them with a matcha and sugar mixture. 

My odd guy out I just did without a top and it was perfectly delicious, too. 

If anyone can get them to look any closer to that first photo, I wanna see! Or if you have any fun ideas for filling, I'm curious about that, too. I really wanted to experiment with making a custard then adding matcha but I wanted to get this up today as it's already Higan in a lot of places. 

XO, 

terrie