sweet

Strawberry Mochi

/ Mutsumi / Leave a comment

My ‘Mochi’ making report continues. Recently I made Strawberry Mochi. It is one of my favourite Japanese sweet. Soft Mochi wrapped up the filling of sweet Adzuki (Red) bean paste with a fresh juicy strawberry. At the beginning of summer I made very similar sweet, actually almost identical, which I named Strawberry Daifuku. It was also a Mochi sweet with a fresh strawberry but filled with sweet white bean paste. The contrast of white paste and the strawberry’s red in colour was great. Both Adzuki bean paste and white bean paste goes very well with a strawberry and Mochi so when I make a strawberry Mochi I always have to think a little to decide which bean paste I should use.

Strawberry (Daifuku) Mochi

So this is the latest Strawberry Mochi with sweet Adzuki (Red) bean paste.

Strawberry mochi

Whichever the sweet bean paste is, Strawberry Mochi tastes always heavenly great with a cup of tea!

Advertisement

The Answer is … Zunda Mochi

/ Mutsumi / Leave a comment

Mystery edamameIn my previous post I set up a Mystery Sweet Quiz.  It was a simple guessing game to answer what kind of flavour/ingredient this sweet has for the centre filling. Maybe because I posted it on a weekend, it did not get many people’s attention on my blog but I posted the same quiz on my Instagram, twitter and facebook too and several people joined to this game there. Thank you Guys!

(Hint 1) My first hint was this photo of the sweet. I also mentioned that the ingredient was something becoming quite popular in the UK.

The answer, ingredient, is getting really well known in London so I thought somebody would guess it easily, but nobody did.

(Hint 2) The outer look and colour of sweet is usually associated with the flavour of the central filling for my sweets

With this hint people could still not give me the right answer, however, some named quite unusual ingredients in a green colour that I would like to try using sometimes in my sweet making.

(Hint 3) The ingredient is not unusual in the UK anymore and you can find it in a super market, either cooked or frozen these days.

With this third hint one person got the answer quite right. But have you?

Zunda Cream Mochi

So, the answer is that this sweet is Zunda Mochi!

Zunda Mochi

Continue reading →

Weekend Photo – Mystery Sweet

/ Mutsumi / Leave a comment

It’s another Mystery Sweet Quiz time for you!

Here is a Mochi type Japanese sweet I made this summer and I’d like to know ‘What do you think the flavour of this Mochi sweet is’.

It’s got a central filling which is made with some ingredient that is becoming quite popular in the UK (and maybe Western worldwide). It is not that unusual to see this ingredient being used as sweet in Japan, but it might be a little surprise for British people.

I look forward to hearing what you think.😉

Mystery edamame

Have a lovely weekend.

Strawberry WA-Shortcake

/ Mutsumi / 2 Comments

One of the most popular cakes in Japan is definitely Strawberry Shortcake. Shortcake seems originally from the States and the Japanese version is of course very similar to it. It normally has two or three layers of whte sponges and decorated with whipped fresh cream and fresh strawberries between layers and on top, but when you eat it you can tell the difference. You will find that the sponge of Japanese version is amazingly soft and light. I tried to create our beloved cake as a ‘Wagashi’ Japanese sweet.

Strawberry WA-Shortcake

I named this sweet as ‘Strawberry WA-Shortcake’. the word ‘WA’ means ‘something Japanese’ so WA-Shortcake means a Shortcake in Japanese style.

Wa-shortcake7

Continue reading →

News: My First Wagashi Making Workshop is Coming!

/ Mutsumi / 2 Comments

This is a rather exciting news to announce. I am going to have my first ‘Wagashi’ Japanese Sweet Making Workshop. In the last two years I had been asked by several people who are curious and keen to learn how to make Japanese Sweet whether there would be a possibility of me teaching a class. Just recently the opportunity suddenly arose so I grabbed it. That is why the date was decided very quickly and it is rather short notice.

 

‘Wagashi’ Japanese Sweet Making Workshop

on: the 10th of June (Sunday), 10-12AM

at : Wasoukan (293 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill,  London W11 2QA)

https://www.wasoukan.eu/

 

My first workshop will be held at the Kimono shop that has been serving my sweets for two years. They have a counter type of Matcha Bar at the front of the shop. It is a very cosy space in a unique Japanese atmosphere. The counter is quite small so the participants are limited to a very small number. I wondered what kind of design I can show the participants how to make. And these are the sweets I decided that we are going to make together!

Wagashi Workshop b2

Continue reading →

Yomogi Mochi 2018

/ Mutsumi / 4 Comments

I made Yomogi Mochi for April. I don’t know why I feel like having Yomogi Mochi especially in spring but I made Yomogi Mochi and posted about it last year too. Maybe because ‘Yomogi’ is wild leaves you can find in a field and we are in the season now that lots of plants are just coming out after being under a cold weather. My Yomogi Mochi this year looks quite similar to the last years. So what is the difference?

Yomogi Mochi, 2018

The outer layer is a ‘Mochi’ type of Japanese sweet with Yomogi leaves mixed in. It has a slightly bitter leafy taste but with sweetness and a bouncy and gooey Texture. As the centre I used ‘Tsubu-An’ Sweet Azuki Beans paste without skin removed during the process. Yomogi and Tsubu-An are just a great combination and I could not think of using any other bean paste for Yomogi flavour.

Yomogi Mochi3

Continue reading →