I learned this recipe in a yakuzen medicinal cooking class and tried making a less sweet version.Sakura leaves are supposedly good for coughs, relieving asthma and inflammation, bringing down fevers, in antidotes, and as hangover cures. They also supposedly work to increase blood pressure, help depression, regulate the stomach and intestines and stop diarrhea.About 5 minutes before you cook the rice, place the sakura leaves in water and de-salt them. When wrapping the mochi, wrap the leaf so that the veins are showing.If the rice cooker has a water level indicator for mochi rice, use that. If not, fill with water to just below the white rice line. Recipe by PANko

This is my mum's way of making these.Take a tiny bit of the food colouring on the tip of a toothpick. Adjust the colour by adding it little by little to create a very pale pink colour. Before cooking the rice, stir well to distribute the colouring evenly. More sugar helps preserve the moistness of the sakura-mochi. Chill the adzuki bean paste in the fridge. It's easier to handle or shape when chilled. Measure exact tablespoons of adzuki bean paste for quick measuring and suitable amounts. Scoop the bean paste with a spoon, wrap it in the mochi rice, then wrap each in a cherry leaf. This should be done in one go. Store the leftover adzuki bean paste in a plastic bag in the freezer; flatten it and score with lines to separate into tablespoon portions. Freeze it until required. Break off only as much as you need. Recipe by happyblessing

Ohagi (rice cake covered with anko bean paste) is nice too, but I wanted something sakura-color for the annual festival.If you can cook rice and make rice balls, you're adept for this recipe! Recipe by Chamachama

I have learned how to make sakura mochi, but I didn't have rice flour, domyoji flour, or a cherry blossom leaf...I wanted to make a sakura mochi easily, so I came up with this recipe.-A little amount of the red food colouring is enough to turn the rice pink, so don't add too much. If you add too much, the rice turns red.-A pinch of salt gives the rice a salty kick, and it will taste like the authentic sakura mochi. If you don't have the salted cherry blossom leaf, add little more salt in the rice to adjust the taste. I taste the mixture at the Step 3, and adjust the taste to my liking. Recipe by Marrietty

I topped unusually shaped sakura mochi with fresh cream and strawberries. My mother made these aiming for a spring-like variation of ichigo daifuku dumplings. The flavor is guaranteed to be good!Domyo-ji flour tends to stick to your hands, so moisten your hands beforehand. Don't make them too wet though! Recipe by Myumako

I am introducing a recipe I was taught in a class for Japanese desserts. Without setting foot in a classroom, anyone can enjoy these delicious and simple sweets made with Domyoji-ko at home.It's best to have the veins of the sakura leaves on the outside of the mochi.Be careful not the let the leaves dry out too much, as the mochi will looks less appealing that way. Recipe by Toshikochan

I've tried many different variations of this and finally settled on one I like.The cooked dough dries out really easily, so be sure to cover it with cling wrap or a dish towel (once it hardens, it's very hard to wrap). A Teflon crepe pan is the best for cooking the dough. The pickled sakura leaves are very salty, so be sure to soak them for a while. For 15. Recipe by Smuchi

I made this recipe while recalling the "an maki" that I saw in a store when I went to a flower blossom viewing.You can use shiratama rice flour in place of the glutinous rice flour, but make sure to dissolve it completely so that it doesn't clump up.Rolling up the an paste before it cools completely will make the wrapping process easier for you. Recipe by Hushsan

To celebrate Hinamatsuri (Girl's Day Festival), I made this Kansai-style sakura mochi that features the subtle saltiness of the sakura leaf, sweetness of an, and the grainy texture of doumyouji-ko.The coloring should be very light to produce a refined touch. Spread the mochi into a size just big enough to wrap the an paste, and make sure the mochi wrapping is even. That way, they'll look just like those sold in shops. Recipe by Lovepann

I wanted to make my own sakura mochi this year.The mochi dough is not that sweet.Use the adzuki bean paste of your choice. You can also add chopped sakura leaves to shop-bought adzuki bean paste. (Use 2 to 3 leaves for 150 g of paste.)If you wrap sakura bean paste with mochi, the resultant sakura mochi will have a beautiful pink colour as in the top photo. Recipe by Makunouchi

I made this sakura crazy recipe of my own to recreate the "sakura mochi" chocolate made by the Tirol company in Japan.Gyuuhi turns out chewier if you replace 5 g of shiratamako with 5 g of cornstarch, so find your preferred consistency and work with what you like best.You will probably have a bit leftover from the gyuuhi and chocolate. Use them for taste testing. For 6 pieces, each about 10 ml. Recipe by Makunouchi

Based on a recipe I got from a shop, I thought sakura mochi would turn out softer if I made it in a microwave steaming container. That's how I came up with this recipe.Adjust the amount of red food coloring to desired color.The amount needed varies depending on the brand.If you don't have a microwave steaming container, you could also make this using a heat-resistant container. Recipe by Beautemps