Japanese Sweets You NEED to Try on Your Trip! (A Guide!)

glutinous rice flour

🥗Healthier: whole grain rice flour

💰Cheaper: regular rice flour

Whole grain flour adds fiber and nutrients.

sweet red bean paste

🥗Healthier: fruit preserves

💰Cheaper: store-bought jam

Fruit preserves offer a lighter, fruity alternative.

sugar

🥗Healthier: honey

💰Cheaper: brown sugar

Honey is natural and adds a distinct flavor.

soy sauce

🥗Healthier: tamari

💰Cheaper: homemade soy sauce

Tamari is gluten-free and can be homemade.

Introduce Japanese sweets and their two main categories: wagashi and yolashi.

Explain that wagashi are traditional Japanese sweets often paired with tea, made from ingredients like mochi and anko.

Describe mochi as a chewy rice cake made from pounding glutenous rice, traditionally eaten during New Year celebrations.

Introduce wavy mochi (wabi mochi) covered in sweetened roasted soybean flour (kinako) and describe its flavor.

Introduce dauku, a round mochi filled with red bean paste, custard, or fruit, and explain its meaning of good fortune.

Show mame dauku, which contains little beans and chunky red bean paste, and describe its texture and flavor.

Mention the need to be careful with the flour that mochi is covered in to avoid mess.

Introduce dango, skewered mochi, and describe its various forms, including mitarashi dango covered in sweet soy sauce.

Explain the origins of mitarashi dango and recommend trying it in Kyoto.

Mention yatsuahashi, a rice flour sweet shaped like ravioli filled with flavored bean paste, and describe its classic cinnamon flavor and seasonal variations.

Introduce doyaki, a pancake filled with sweet red bean paste, and describe the version from 7-Eleven that includes whipped cream.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

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Allergens