Sweet Rice Balls (Mochi! Sort of...)

This recipe is the product of me attempting to make Sakura Mochi and finding out that we didn't have the right ingredients in my house XD However, the end product was incredibly tasty :3

Ingredients:

2 cups sweet (glutinous) rice
3 1/2 cups Water
2/3 cup sugar (or however much makes it as sweet as you'd like, this is just a guideline)
food coloring, preferably red but it's up to you

Put the rice and the water in a pan. Add 4-5 drops food coloring, or more for darker colored rice (or just don't add food coloring).
Let the rice soak for 20-30 minutes.
Bring the rice to a boil, then let it boil for 2 minutes.
Turn the heat on low. Cover the rice partially with the lid and cook the rice for 15-20 more minutes.
Remove from heat. Add the sugar the rice and mix well with a large spoon. You can mash the rice a bit with the spoon to make it more mochi-ish.
Let the rice cool for a few minutes, as it's too hot to work with at this point.
Form the rice mixture into balls with your hands, wetting your hands as needed to keep the rice from sticking to them.
Enjoy! ^w^