Sazae Shokuhin Ohagi

For those who don’t know what it is, I like to describe ohagi as an inside-out mochi. The sticky rice part on the inside, and the anko (sweet bean paste) on the outside. 

I have tried a variety of different ohagi, and my favorite so far has been from Sazae Shokuhin which has a stall in Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi’s department floor. They are a Hokkaido company founded postwar in 1957 as a diner, and now their specialities are ohagi and onigiri (not sold at the Nihonbashi location).

The traditional options are smooth anko (koshi-an) or smashed bean anko (tsubu-an), but they also offer black sesame and kinako, or soybean flour. What makes their ohagi so delicious is the remarkable softness of their anko and rice, achieved without sacrificing form, and the subtle, masterful use of salt.