Korean Red Bean Filled Mochi

I love love love rice cakes!  And I found a recipe for rice cakes that are my absolute favorite.  They are the korean mochi that are filled with a red bean filling.  The filling a made of a red bean paste that is just a little bit sweet without being overly sweet but has the smooth consistency that just fills your mouth.  I grew up with these little rice cakes having two for any given meal or just having one as a snack.  They are readily available at any korean market, but as with everything, wouldn't it be better to be able to make it at home where you know that all the ingredients are fresh and no fillers were added?  Therefore I will try out this recipe and compare them to the ones from my past.

The recipe is pretty simple and it makes plenty.  So give it a whirl and tell me what you think.  These can be made to be any color and even flavors can be added.  Just add a drop of food coloring or 1 teaspoon of green tea powder can be added.  As for other flavoring I have yet to test out, but if they are in powder form I'm guessing that it can be added like the green tea powder is.

1 cup dried red azuki beans
3 cups water
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons corn syrup
1 cup sweet rice flour or mochiko powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup starch powder (corn, potato, or any starch can be used)

Put the red beans in a pot after washing them with the 3 cups of water and bring to a rolling boil for 10 minutes on high heat.  Then lower the heat and let simmer for 1 1/2 hours.  If you are not able to mash the beans with a wooden spoon add more water and cook for a while longer.
Mash the beans or use a food processor to mass the beans until smooth.  Return to the pot and add the brown sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and corn syrup.  Heat up over low heat until the sugar is melted.  Should be shiny and thick, when it is done, set aside to cool.
Mix the sweet rice flour, salt and sugar in a microwave safe bowl.  Then add the water (with the food coloring or green tea powder) and mix until well incorporated.  Then cover with plastic wrap but leave a little gap on one side and microwave for 3 minutes.  Take it out of the microwave and mix, the inside of the ball of dough will not be cooked so you have to mix it to make sure all the rice cake is cooked.  Wrap again leaving a gap on one side and microwave for 1 minute again.  Take the rice cake out of the microwave and mix vigorously in a circular motion.  You should mix for about 100 times to make the rice cakes nice and chewy.
Next, cover a cutting board with a starch powder (like corn starch or potato starch) and flip out the rice cake onto the cutting board.  Flatten and shape into a rectangle.  Then cut into 8 equal portions.  Then you will take a portion and flatten so that a ball of red bean filling can fit inside.  Put a ball in the middle of the rice cake and then pinch the sides of the rice cake shut around it.  Dust with a little bit of the starch and repeat with each of the 8 portions of rice cake.

This recipe is a little more time consuming and complicated then the others, but the results are the same as the ones bought at the store.  I hope that you will try and love them as well.
Happy chomps and nibbles.