In Japan, mid- to late March is each commencement season and the time when faculties and firms maintain welcoming ceremonies for brand new entrants. Such events entail presents (often cash) offered to college students or beginner staff and gatherings (largely household) the place sekihan, a standard dish of sticky rice tinted crimson by adzuki crimson beans, is commonly served.
Many Asian cultures together with Japan affiliate crimson with felicity, success and the facility to repel evil spirits. That’s the reason red-colored meals, with hues starting from crimson and pink to orange and maroon, are served throughout celebrations.
To make sekihan, small adzuki beans are precooked to launch a deep crimson liquid that’s used to tint the rice because it steams. A wide range of adzuki often known as sasage mame is very prized for its vibrant coloration and skill to carry its form properly all through the cooking course of. Sekihan is made with mochigome (glutinous rice), generally together with uruchimai (odd desk rice).
