Preparation

1. Prepare a batch of koshian for the filling; freeze any you don’t end up using.
2. Divide the bean paste into six balls and set them aside.
3. Wash the rice, drain it fully, then in a microwaveable bowl add 160ml (5.5 oz.) water to the rice and let it sit for one hour.

Directions

Koshian Ohagi

1. Cover and microwave.
   After it has soaked for an hour, cover the rice with plastic wrap and microwave on high for about 4 minutes (longer if you have a weak microwave). Remove the plastic wrap and microwave for 1 minute.
2. Pound the rice.
   Using a pestle or a similar blunt object, pound the rice with an up-and-down gesture until it has partly turned into a mass, but individual rice grains are still visible. You can pound it less or more if you prefer softer or sticker rice, respectively.
3. Form into a cylinder.
   Wet a cloth and wring it thoroughly, then drop the rice into it and use the cloth to roll the rice into a cylinder.
4. Divide into six balls.
   Unwrap the rice, slice it into six equal pieces, and roll them into slightly elongated, egg-shaped balls.
5. Shape koshian.
   Press each ball of koshian between your palms to flatten it into a disc a little bigger than the balls of rice; the edges can be thinner than the middle.
6. Wrap balls of rice.
   Lay each ball of rice horizontally (that is, with the pointier ends to the sides) onto a koshian disk, then work the beans around it with your fingers until the rice is almost completely covered; leave it so that a little bit of rice is still visible — this will be the bottom. Again, the pointy ends of the oval will be the sides, not the top and bottom, of the finished ohagi.

Kinako Ohagi

1. Prepare inverted ohagi.
   Prepare the balls exactly as with koshian ohagi, with the rice and koshian switched (and a smaller amount of koshian), so that the balls end up with koshian on the inside and a coating of rice on the outside. Wet your hands when working with the rice so that it doesn’t stick.
2. Finish with kinako.
   Dry your hands and put a generous layer of kinako on a plate, then roll the balls gently in it until they are thoroughly coated.

Sesame Ohagi

1. Prepare inverted ohagi.
   Prepare the balls exactly as with koshian ohagi, with the rice and koshian switched (and a smaller amount of koshian), so that the balls end up with koshian on the inside and a coating of rice on the outside. Wet your hands when working with the rice so that it doesn’t stick.
2. Finish with sesame seeds.
   Dry your hands and put a generous layer of sesame seeds — white or black — on a plate, then roll the balls gently in the seeds until they have an even coating.