Kinpira manju

Put the rice flour in a bowl, pour in the hot water and mix with chopsticks. When it starts to become crumbly, mix with your hands and knead well until it forms a single mass

Place a baking tray on a baking sheet and divide [1] into 4 equal parts and arrange them on top. They can be different sizes, but it's best to keep them flat so they cook easily

Place in a steamer and steam for 20-25 minutes. The dough is done when the surface becomes slightly transparent

While the dough is steaming, make the kinpira gobo (burdock root stir-fry) filling.
Heat sesame oil in a frying pan over high heat, add the julienned burdock and thinly sliced ​​carrots, and stir-fry. After 1-2 minutes, the burdock root will soften, then add the sake, sugar, and dark soy sauce and continue to stir-fry.

When the liquid has evaporated, remove from heat, add the ground sesame seeds and mix well. Spread on a tray and let cool

Transfer the steamed dough (3) to a bowl, gather it together, and then soak it in a bowl of water for about 2 minutes to cool

Remove the dough to a kitchen towel and wipe off any excess water, then transfer to a bowl and add the sugar and potato starch, kneading until the dough is shiny

The total amount of dough will be about 400g, so cut it into 40g pieces and wrap the kinpira filling around it. Roll it into a strip and then cut it into 10 equal pieces with a knife. Roll the dough out into a flat circle so that it is slightly thicker in the center, place the kinpira burdock root filling in the center, wrap it up, and seal it tightly

Place the dough on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, with the seam facing downwards, and steam for about 7 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and it's done