Sekihan (赤飯) is the Japanese traditional dish for celebrations. It is sticky rice steamed with azuki beans, which give a reddish color to the rice.

Sekihan is often served on special occasions throughout the year in Japan, for example, birthdays, weddings, and shichigosan, which is an event to celebrate children's growth on November 15th. Japanese people like to have sekihan for celebrations because it is red, the color of happiness. When we say, "Let's have sekihan", we mean we intend to celebrate something. In some areas, sekihan is made when a young woman has her menarche.

It is good to eat immediately after cooking but is also quite tasty even when it is cold. Japanese people usually eat sekihan with gomashio (sesame and salt), which is Japanese flavoring.

How to cook sekihan

1. Wash Mochi-gome (glutinous rice) and soak in water for 12 hours.
2. Wash azuki beans, boil over high heat for 5 minutes, and discard water.
3. Add 5 cups of fresh water to the pot of beans over heat. When it boils, turn down the heat to low, and cook beans until tender. Drain in a sieve, reserving hot water in a bowl. Allow water to cool.
4. Soak rice in the cool bean water for 1 hour, and drain in a sieve lined with cheesecloth.
5. Transfer the rice with the cheesecloth to a steamer, and cook over high heat for 30 minutes. Sprincle with salted sake a couple of times during cooking.
6. Place azuki beans on top of rice, and steam to heat beans.
7. Serve red rice sprinkled with gomashio (sesame salt).