Category Archives: Wagashi

Cakes, 美食, Dessert, 農業, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Wagashi, 和菓子

Japanese Vegetarian & Vegan Cakes: Wagashi/和菓子8: Recipe-Beni Mochi

December 6, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

BENI-MOCHI-1

Here is a simple Japanese Cake/Wagashi Recipe that can be adapted to all shapes by vegans and vegetarians! Beni Mochi.
Beni Mochi, or 紅餅 in Japanese, means “Red Mochi”.

INGREDIENTS: 16 pieces

-Rice flour: 250 g
-White sugar: 80 g
-Water: 100 ml/half a cup (for white mochi)
-Brown sugar (take care in choosing the colour): 80 g
-Water: 100 ml/half a cup (for red mochi)

RECIPE:

BENI-MOCHI-2

Divide rice flour into two equal parts (125 g) and pour into two different bowls.

BENI-MOCHI-3

In a deep pan, drop red sugar and add water. Heat over fire until completely melted. Switch off fire. Add rice flour and mix well.
Repeat same procedure with white sugar.

BENI-MOCHI-4

In a steamer, put mochi pastes (take care no to mix them) on a steaming paper and steam for 10 minutes.

BENI-MOCHI--5

Take out. Let cool. Make two balls and keep in different bowls.

BENI-MOCHI--6

Shape the mochi as above or according to your preference. Put them back inside the steamer on steaming paper and steam for 10 more minutes.

BENI-MOCHI--7

Let cool and serve!
Are best enjoyed with Japanese tea, hot or cold!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Cakes, 美食, 農業, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Cuisine, vegetables, Vegetarian cuisine, Wagashi, 和菓子

Japanese Vegetarian & Vegan Cakes: Wagashi/和菓子7: Creation 2-Hanabira Mochi

December 5, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

WAGASHI-HANABIRAMOCHI

Here is another traditional Japanese Cake/Wagashi: Hanabira Mochi (菱葩餅 in Japanese)!
Hanabiramochi is a Japanese sweet usually eaten at the beginning of the year. Hanabiramochi is also served at the first tea ceremony of the New Year.

The name “Hanabiramochi” literally means “Flower petal mochi”. The original form of Hanabiramochi is Hishihanabira, a dessert that was eaten by the Imperial family at special events coinciding with the beginning of the year.

Hanabiramochi was first made in the Meiji Era (8 September 1868 – 30 July 1912), but it is now a familiar New Year wagashi.

The exact shape of Hanabiramochi is strictly defined by tradition. The white mochi covering is flat and round, folded over to form a semicircular shape, and must have a pink color showing through in the center of the confection, fading to a white at the edge. Unlike a daifuku, the mochi must not completely seal the insides.

In the center of a hanabiramochi is a layer of anko, a sweet bean paste, commonly the white kind made from sweetened mung beans. In the very center is a thin strip of sweetly flavoured gobo (burdock root) which protrudes from the mochi on both sides.

Each element of the hanabiramochi is significant.

The red colour showing through the white mochi is not only appropriate to the celebration of the New Year but also evokes the Japanese apricot/plum (ume) blossom, which in turn represents the purity, perseverance, and renewal associated with the New Year.

The gobo represents pressed ayu, a fish exclusive to East Asia, and a prayer for a long life.

A vegan way to celebrate the New Year!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Cakes, 美食, 野菜, 農業, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Vegan, vegetables, Vegetarian cuisine, Wagashi, 和菓子

Japanese Vegetarian & Vegan Cakes: Wagashi/和菓子6: Creation 2-Sakura Mochi (& Recipe!)

December 4, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

WAGASHI-SAKURA-MOCHI-2

Sakura Mochi (桜餅) is a variety of wagashi, or Japanese confectionery consisting of a sweet pink mochi (rice cake) and red bean paste, covered with a leaf of sakura (cherry blossom).

Sakura Mochi (桜餅) or Cherry Blossom Mochi has been popular all over Japan since the beginning of gastronomy in the Land of the Rising Sun.
The style of Sakura Mochi differs with the regions in Japan.
Basically, the east of Japan such as Tokyo uses shiratama-ko (白玉粉/ rice flour) and the west side such as Kansai uses dōmyōji-ko (道明寺粉/glutinous rice flour) for “batter”.

WAGASHI-SAKURA-MOCHI
Anko is folded inside a mochi sheet and again inside an edible cherry tree leaf.

WAGASHI-SAKURA-MOCHI-3

Here the anko is inside white mochi, then folded in cherry tree leaf and topped with an edible cherry flower.

WAGASHI-SAKURA-MOCHI-4

A smaller, very cute Sakura Mochi: the colored mochi contains anko and is presented inside an edible cherry tree leaf.

WAGASHI-SAKURA-MOCHI-5

Sakura mochi as sold over the counter in the Kansai/West Japan Region.
They are also called Sakura Dango/Cherry Balls (no comment, please!LOL)

SIMPLE RECIPE
This recipe is for making Western-style sakuramochi. Serves 8.

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup glutinous rice flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup water
3/4 cup red bean paste
red food coloring (optional)
8 sakura leaves pickled in salted water

PREPARATION:
Wash pickled sakura leaves and dry.
Boil water in a pan.
Mix glutinous flour in the water.
Cover the pan with a lid and leave it for 5 minutes.
Place a wet cloth in a steamer and put the dough on the cloth.
Steam the dough for about 20 minutes over medium heat.
Remove the steamed dough to a bowl.
Mash the dough slightly with a wooden pestle, mixing sugar into the dough.
Dissolve a little bit of red food color in some water.
Add some of the red water in the dough and mix well.
Divide the pink mochi into 8 balls.
Flaten each mochi ball by hands and place red bean paste filling on the dough.
Wrap the filling with mochi and rounds by hands.
Wrap each mochi with a sakura leaf.

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Cakes, 美食, 農業, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Vegan, vegetables, Vegetarian cuisine, Wagashi, 和菓子

Japanese Vegetarian & Vegan Cakes: Wagashi/和菓子3: Recipe-Shiro Anko/White Sweetmeats

December 1, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-1

In my previous article, I introduced the recipe for “red sweetmeats” or just “anko” in Japanese, an important ingredients in Wagashi.
But the red/violet colour is not always wanted.
Another popular way to make anko is to use “ingen mame”/kidney beans (US), or string/French beans (Europe).
Note that soy beans/”daizu” are not used in this recipe!
The advantage are multiple, as the “white” (actually beige) colour can be modified by adding green peas (green), pumpkin (yellow or orange), fruit pulp from papaya and mango (orange). Variations are practically unlimited!

INGREDIENTS:
Kidney beans: 500g
Sugar: 400g
Salt: three small pinches

RECIPE:

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-2
Put beans with 3 times their volume of water in a large pan. Let soak for two nights. Change water twice a day.

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-3
Beans should have lost their “wrinkles” by then.

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-b
Bring water to boil over strong fire. Simmer for 5 minutes over medium fire.

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-4
Drain water, making sure beans don’t dry up. The skin of the beans should peel off easily. Take skins and dark spots away.

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-5
Simmer again peeled beans until they get soft and start breaking up. Start on a strong fire to bring to boil, then lower to medium fire.

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-6
Heat until most of the water has evaporated. Beans will pass through sieve more easily.

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-7
Pass all the beans through the sieve. Wash and dry the pan.

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-8
Add sugar to sieved beans and stir/mix over low fire.

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-9
Sugar becoming liquid upon heating will give a watery aspect to the mixture. Heat over low fire, stirring all the time for 25 minutes.

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-10
Once satisfied with the paste consistency, add salt, mix and stop fire.

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-11
Transfer to another dish for preserving until use. Do it at once while it is still hot.
Make sure it does not dry up.
Cover with a lid.
If lid does not close well enough, wrap the whole into cellophane paper.

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Cakes, Dessert, Desserts, 農業, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Wagashi, 和菓子

Japanese Vegetarian & Vegan Cakes: Wagashi/和菓子1: Introduction

November 28, 2011 dragonlife 6 Comments

WAGASHI-1

There is a traditional way of making cakes in Japan that ought to please no end vegans and people allergic to wheat flour and dairy products, namely Wagashi!

Wagashi (和菓子) is a traditional Japanese confectionery which is often served with tea, especially the types made of mochi, azuki bean paste, and fruits.

Wagashi is typically made from natural based (mainly plant) ingredients. The names used for wagashi commonly fit a formula—a natural beauty and a word from ancient literature; they are thus often written with hyōgaiji (kanji that are not commonly used or known), and are glossed with furigana.

Generally, confectioneries that were introduced from the West after the Meiji Restoration (1868) are not considered wagashi. Most sorts of Okinawan confectionery and those originating in Europe or China that use ingredients alien to traditional Japanese cuisine, e.g., kasutera, are only rarely referred to as wagashi.

WAGASHI-2
Assortment of wagashi for a tea ceremony

During the Edo period, the production of sugarcane in Okinawa became highly productive, and low quality brown sugar as well as heavily processed white sugar became widely available. A type of sugar, wasanbon, was perfected in this period and is still used exclusively to make wagashi. Wagashi was a popular gift between samurai, in significance much like a good wine. Wagashi is served as part of a Japanese tea ceremony, and serving a good seasonal wagashi shows one’s educational background.

WAGASHI-3
Wagashi in the shape of rape flowers/Na no Hana

There are many, many kinds of Wagashi.
I will (re-)introduce them in the next postings, followed by other postings on the basic preparation.

WAGASHI-ABEKAWAMOCHI-2
Shizuoka’s Abekawa Mochi

Just know that about every region in Japan has its own traditional Wagashi!

Avaibility:
Wagashi is widely available in Japan, but quite rare outside it.
–Minamoto Kitchoan (源吉兆庵)
Has a varied selection, and stores in New York City (shipping throughout the US), London (shipping throughout Europe), and Singapore, in addition to Japan.
–Toraya (とらや)
Has a full Paris store, stores in Japan, and sells a limited selection (yōkan only) at New York stores.
–Fugetsu-do
Family owned and operated in the USA, since 1903, Fugetsu-do now ships anywhere in the USA.

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES