Delicious Japanese mochi -- sweet rice and red bean treats

Wet:

2 cups water

Dry:

2 cups sweet rice flour plus extra for dusting
1 cup sugar

Optional:

filling (usually red bean paste)
sesame seeds for coating
food dye (green and pink are traditional)

Sift sweet rice flour into a bowl. Mix in the sugar, then the water. If you are adding food colouring, do so now.

To steam: Pour mixture into an oiled bowl. Steam in a steamer for about 45 minutes until dough is gummy.
In microwave: Pour mixture into an oiled bowl and microwave covered for 15 minutes.
In mochi maker: Follow the instructions for your particular machine.

Once dough is ready, dust a board with the extra sweet rice flour and knead dough until you have a smooth texture. Shape dough into individual balls for use.

You can flatten the balls and use to cover a filling, if you like. I also like to roll the mochi in sesame seeds (white or black, your choice) after re-wetting the exterior of the ball.