Suama and Uirō

Suama (寿甘^?), a combination of the kanji for celebration "su" (寿) and sweet "ama" (甘) is a Japanese sweet made of non-glutinous rice flour, hot water, and sugar characterized by its red food dye.

It is dyed red, because red and white symbolize celebration in Japanese tradition.

It is kneaded and then optionally shaped by a sushi rolling mat (sudare), which gives the final product a textured, slightly bumpy surface.

Suama is similar to, but not the same as, other rice-based Japanese snacks mochi and uirō. Mochi uses glutinous rice flour; while uirō is not kneaded, but rather mixed, placed in a mold, and steamed.

Suama is also the Japanese cartoon character Tarepanda's favorite food.

Uirō (外郎^?), also known as uirō-mochi (外郎餠^?), is a traditional Japanese steamed cake made of rice flour and sugar.^[1] It is chewy, similar to mochi, and subtly sweet. Flavors include azuki bean paste, green tea (matcha), yuzu, strawberry and chestnut.

Nagoya is particularly famous for its uirō, but there are other regional versions, notably in Yamaguchi and Odawara. It can also be purchased in traditional Japanese confectionery shops throughout Japan.^[1]

Uirō was originally the name of a medicine in the Muromachi period (1336 – 1573). References to uirō as a confection first appear in the Wa-Kan Sansai Zue, Ryōan Terajima's massive Edo-period dictionary published in 1712.^[2]