Nerikiri wagashi

To make the shiro-an, strain and place the butter beans in a large bowl. Pour boiling water over them until covered and allow to soak for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse well. Place the beans in a blender or food processor and blitz until smooth. Strain through a sieve. Transfer the smooth bean paste to the largest non-stick pan you have. Add the sugar and cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly. The mixture needs to dry out and become a thick paste. The paste is ready when it holds an indentation without sticking to your fingers. Depending on your pan size, this can take approx. 20-50 minutes. Remove from the heat and spread the paste in the pan to cool. Once at room temperature, reserve 200g for the filling and cover with cling film.

To make the gyuhi, mix the glutinous rice flour and water in a small bowl until smooth. Microwave on high for 1 minute or until the mixture becomes sticky, thick and slightly translucent. Remove from the heat, let it cool slightly and then combine with the shiro-an paste.

Knead the dough for 2 minutes until smooth and pliable. It should not be too sticky. Transfer to a clean cotton cloth and continue to knead inside the cloth for 1-2 minutes. Tear the dough into small pieces, rest for 1 minute, then knead again for another minute inside the cloth. Once smooth and soft, divide into three equal portions and add the food colours. Knead to evenly distribute the colours then immediately wrap each dough in cling film to prevent them from drying out.

To make pink cherry blossom nerikiri, take 35g of pink dough and roll it into a ball. Flatten it with your hand, place 20g of filling in the centre and bring the dough around to seal it. Flatten it slightly, then use a skewer to make a small hole in the centre. Using the back of a knife, press 5 lines radiating from the centre to form petals. Gently press the knife into the edges of each petal to add curves. Roll a tiny ball of yellow dough and place it in the centre.

To make the yellow nerikiri with fondant flowers, follow the same steps as the cherry blossom shape, using 35g yellow dough and 20g filling. Decorate with fondant flowers.

To make the green nerikiri with leaf design, follow the same steps with 35g of green dough and 20g of filling to form a ball. Using the back of a knife, score three lines down the dough. Decorate with a fondant leaves.

The nerikiri wagashi can be wrapped and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.