matcha

Wagashi Making Workshop in London – Autumn Colours

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Dear Wagashi Lovers,

The clock has just turned back to Winter time here in the UK and we are officially in Autumn now. When we talk about Autumn in Japan, the thing we cannot forget is ‘Momiji’ Japanese maple. Also as a part of British culture Guy Fawkes night, the 5th of November, is something significant for next month.

Wagashi Making Workshop – Autumn Colours

So, in next month’s Wagashi workshop we are going to create these three sweets.

  • ‘Momiji’ Japanese Maple
  • Fallen Leaf
  • Firework

Each piece has a different centre filling so you can enjoy the unique flavour in each sweet as well as the pretty creations.

*All of them are vegan and free from gluten & major allergy sources.

No experience is necessary. Come along with your friends and family for a fun and memorable afternoon.

[Details and Tickets] Please go to the detail page from here

See you there!

Wagashi Workshop in London

/ Mutsumi / 2 Comments

Dear Wagashi lovers,

The wonderful season has arrived for making Japanese sweets. There are so many beautiful colours in nature that we can use as motifs for Wagashi designs. So I made a plan for the Wagashi Making Workshop in Autumn this month.

Wagashi Making Workshop in Autumn

In this workshop we are going to learn how to use a traditional tool and the technique to create these three sweets.

  • Rabbit
  • ‘Kikyo’ Balloon flower
  • ‘Temari’ Hand-ball in Autumn colour

*They are all vegan and free from gluten & major allergy sources.

Every sweet has a different centre filling so you can enjoy the unique flavour in each sweet as well as the pretty creations.

No experience is necessary as our expert instructor will guide you through the process, sharing tips and tricks along the way. Whether you’re a beginner or familiar in Japanese culture, this workshop is a fun and exciting way to spend your afternoon. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the art of Japanese confectionery!

Bring your friends and family along for a fun and memorable afternoon.

You can take home and consume all your creations.

[Details/Tickets] Please click here

Register on Eventbrite

Japanese Sweets Making Workshop in London

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Come join us for an afternoon of creating delicious Japanese sweets at our in-person event. Get into the Christmas spirit and learn how to make traditional Wagashi treats with a festive twist.

Wagashi is the general term for Japanese sweets and there are many types. In this workshop we will make three designs of the fresh type of Japanese sweet called ‘Nerikiri’. These are often accompanied with a bowl of Matcha tea in a tea ceremony. Although it is traditionally Japanese, the design can be contemporary and this time we are going to make three designs in the Christmas theme. They are all vegan and gluten free.

No experience is necessary, as our expert instructor will guide you through the process step by step. Bring your friends and family along for a fun and memorable experience. (*Suitable for ages 12+ yr, but we advise children are accompanied by an adult on a separate ticket.) Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to learn a new skill and enjoy some tasty treats! You can take home and consume all your creations.

[Link to the Details & Tickets below]

Look forward to seeing you there!

Register on Eventbrite

It’s a Watermelon indeed!

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In the previous post, I introduced my Mochi Watermelon. It’s a Mochi-type Japanese sweet which looks like a Watermelon on a tiny scale. So on this post, I’d like to show you what the inside of the sweet looks like.

The inside of Mochi Watermelon

So this is what the inside of the sweet looks like.

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Wagashi Day in 2021

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Two days ago it was Wagashi Day.

Wagashi Day started dating back to the year 848 when there was an outbreak of plague in Japan. On the 16th of June the Emperor made the offering of sixteen confectionery to a shinto shrine as the greater purification of bad luck. He prayed for the end of the epidemic and good health. Since then this day became Wagashi Day.

Instead of making offering, I have been using the day as an opportunity to introduce my creations. Although Wagashi day passed two days ago, I’m going to show you my sixteen sweets I created in the year 2020 and pray for the end of this pandemic and great health to you all! 😊💕

So, belated Happy Wagashi Day! 😊💕

Matcha Babka with Tsubuan

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During the first lockdown in the UK, I made Babka twice. One was with Cinnamon and the other one was with Chocolate. When I was eating it, I thought that babka must go well with some Japanese ingredients. I’ve been thinking to try making my Japanese Babka for a while but didn’t have a chance … until recently.

Just before the UK went into the second lockdown, I started participating a virtual Bake-Off competition that is hosted by my local deli shop. The first task was Babka so it was the great opportunity for me to try creating my imaginary Japanese Babka.

Matcha Babka with Sweet Azuki Bean Paste & White Chocolate

I added Matcha green tea powder to the brioche dough to give the pastry beautiful green colour and also, sweet but a little pungent green tea flavour. For the filling I spread ‘Tsubuan’ sweet Azuki (red) bean paste all over the stretched dough and then scattered some white chocolate pieces on top. What I aimed to create was a great contrast in colour as well as flavour.

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Ohagi-Dango on Autumnal Equinox Day

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Yesterday, the 22nd of September, was the Autumnal Equinox Day this year. One week period around that day is called ‘Higan’ in Japan and people cleanse ourselves spiritually by doing right things and cleaning ancestors’ graves.

Tri-colouered Ohagi

Tri-colouered Ohagi

On the culinary side of this tradition during the week we have sweets called ‘Ohagi’. It is a mochi type sweet with half pounded sweet rice with ‘Azuki’ sweet red bean paste. Some of them are flavoured and decorated with ‘Kinako’ toasted soyabean powder, green seaweed or black sesame seeds.

Ohagi Dango

I love Ohagi and can eat 2-3 pieces of them easily all one go! It is normally quite big and filling, and for the people who’d like to try all the flavours for a teatime it might be a little hard. So I made a version of all three types of sweets on one skewer! In this way everyone can taste all the flavours. 🍡

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Raspberry Mochi

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Do you know Mochi? Have you eaten any before? Mochi is one of the recent phenomena in the Japanese food industry that became very popular in the world all of a sudden as a surprise. It’s a soft gooey rice cake that was made by pounding glutinous rice. It can be either sweet or savoury and also hot or cold.

The best know Mochi in the western countries is the one with ice cream inside and the other type is with a fresh Strawberry and sweet bean paste wrapped up inside the Mochi sheet. This Strawberry ‘Daifuku’ Mochi is one of my favourites, however, it is not just strawberry that the Mochi goes so well with. You can have all sorts of juicy fresh fruit in a Mochi.

Raspberry Mochi

Here is my creation of Raspberry Mochi to show you that. I selected juicy but firm raspberries and filled them with smooth raspberry sauce. I wrapped them up carefully with a sheet of sweet and soft Mochi.

RaspberryM

This Raspberry Mochi is one of my regular products when I have a market stall that I know people love. I was planning to have a stall in a big Japanese culture market in June and it was sadly cancelled unfortunately of course because of the pandemic.

However, a great news for the people who live in London is that you can get two of my Wagashi Japanese sweets at the moment. This Raspberry Mochi is one of them and I received great feedback already from the customers. They are served at the Havan Store (262 Kensington High St, London W8 6ND). You are not allowed to walk into the shop yet but you can get a takeaway.

The Havan is located right next to Holland Park so how about getting some sweets and their gorgeous Matcha tea as a takeaway and have a lovely teatime in the park. 😋💕

Happy Wagasgi Day

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The 16th of June is ‘Wagashi’ Japanese Sweet Day. Although the ceremony is an old tradition that started in 848, it was forgotten once for a long time and reintroduced to the modern Japanese people in 1979. As a part of the ceremony we place sixteen sweets as an offering to the God in order to pray for good health.

Instead of offering sixteen sweets I have been introducing sixteen sweets from all my creation of the previous year recently (2018, 2017 and 2016 with the more detail of the Wagashi Day).

My Sixteen Wagashi in 2019

So I introduce sixteen Wagashi from all the Japanese sweets I created in the year 2019 here.

Happy Wagashi Day for you!

Floating Sakura Petals

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Whilst we’ve been locked down, it’s already the middle of May and the Cherry blossom season has been long gone! Luckily I had a chance to see beautiful Sakura blossom in my area during my walking.

Floating Petals

Japanese people love Cherry blossom so much that we have lots of words which express scenes relating to Sakura blossom. Even when we see the blossom is ending and some petals are blown away, we find a beauty in the scene of sakura petals floating on water such as a pond or river. We call it ‘Hana Ikada’ which means a flower raft. I made my version of Hana Ikada, Floating Sakura Petals.

hanaikada

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