This food is called ‘Ohagi’ in Japan. There is an almost identical food called ‘Bota Mochi’. During the equinoctial weeks in Spring and Autumn, this food is traditionally prepared. It is basically a ball of slightly pounded glutenous rice covered with Sweet Azuki Paste. Kinako (finely ground Roasted Soy Beans) mixed with Sugar is another …
Today I was making ‘An Pan’, that is a Japanese sweet bread roll filled with Sweet Azuki (Red Bean) Paste. Suddenly my ‘laziness’ kicked in and I wanted to make something easier. So, instead of wrapping the Azuki paste with the dough, I rolled it, placed it in a loaf tin, and baked it. OMG!!! …
There is a popular fried dumpling filled with Sweet Azuki Paste and coated with Sesame Seeds. I tried to make something similar to it using Spring Roll Wrappers. This dessert is absolutely easy to make. Fried crunchy Sesame Seeds and Sweet Azuki Paste are delicious when combined. I like to use Black Sesame Seeds for …
Everyone’s favourite Japanese sweet ‘Strawberry Daifuku Mochi’ is not hard to make, but I wouldn’t say it is easy to make. When I saw rice paper desserts on the internet, a great idea came to me to use rice paper to make Daifuku Mochi. Soon I discovered many people were already doing it. The texture …
‘Daifuku Mochi’, or Daifuku, is a Japanese sweet consisting of a small round glutinous rice cake stuffed with sweet Azuki paste. There are many variations these days, and this ‘Strawberry Daifuku Mochi’ is probably the most popular one. I wouldn’t try to make it if I were in Japan. However, here in Melbourne where I …
Since the discovery of Canned Azuki Beans at a local supermarket, my ‘Tsubu-an’ making has become very easy. Sweet Azuki Paste is available from Asian Grocery stores but they are quite pricey. Canned Azuki Beans are cheap. From 1 can, you can make about 1 cupful of Sweet Azuki Paste easily and quickly. Makes About …
On the other day, I cooked Barley with Azuki (Red Bean), trying to create Barley version of ‘Sekihan’ Azuki Rice. I didn’t like the result because it was unexpectedly SWEET even though I added only Salt. Then I remembered this Japanese dessert soup. It’s a variation of Zenzai (Sweet Azuki Soup). This dessert soup is …
You have some leftover Sweet Azuki Paste? If you have 1 sheet Butter Puff Pastry, you can make this yummy Asian dessert now. I added ground Black Sesame Seeds to the Sweet Azuki Paste for extra flavour, which is very nice, but it is optional as most people don’t stock Black Sesame Seeds. Peanut Butter …
Cold jelly sweets are very popular during the hot and humid summer in Japan. I like any kind of jelly sweets, but my favourite is Azuki Kanten Jelly ‘Mizu-Yōkan’. A variety of Azuki jelly sweets are available from shops over there, but, here in Melbourne, I have to make them if I want to eat …
I have a super easy ‘Azuki Ice Cream’ recipe and it can be made with two ingredients, Tsubu-an (Sweet Azuki Paste) and whipped Cream. Because some people find it too rich, I have made a lighter version. Makes 4 Servings Ingredients 1/2 cup Milk1 to 2 tablespoons Sugar *OR Condensed Milk2 teaspoons Corn Starch Flour1/2 …
If you have been to Kyoto, Japan, you might have tasted this famous sweet. To make this sweet, Japanese rice flours ‘Shiratamako’ and ‘Joshinko’ are commonly used, but they are very difficult to find where I live. I use commonly available Glutenous Rice Flour and Rice Flour. You can make this sweet using Glutinous Rice …
‘Azuki’ are small red beans and most commonly used to make sweets in Japan. However, they can be used for savoury dishes as well. I often cook them with Rice. Because Azuki are small and cook fairly quickly, they don’t need to be soaked over night, and it’s easy to use for many dishes. Makes …
‘Sekihan’, steamed short grain glutinous rice cooked with Azuki (Red Beans), is sometimes cooked with Chestnuts as well. But Chestnuts are not commonly available where I live. I looked for a substitute for Chestnuts and I tried some different nuts. Now I can tell you that the best substitute is Cashew Nuts. This ‘Auzki & …
For those who love sweet Azuki (Red Bean) paste, which is a very popular ingredient for many sweets, I introduce a traditional Japanese sweet, ‘Zenzai’. In the region I grew up, ‘Zenzai’ is a sweet Azuki soup, often served with toasted Mochi (Rice Cake). Its smooth version made with ‘Koshi-an’ is called ‘Shiruko’, and I …
‘Oyaki’ is a sort of dumpling similar to ‘Gyoza’ made from wheat flour (or buckwheat flour) dough wrapped around a stuffing that is most commonly vegetables, then cooked on a pan. This time, I made Sweet ‘Oyaki’. The filling for Sweet ‘Oyaki’ can be mashed Pumpkin or Sweet Potato, dried fruit and nuts, or sweetened …