The Gaijin Guide: Desserts

Japanese Desserts/Candies

A note about Japanese desserts: Japanese sweets are called wa-gashi, which encompasses several categories: Namagashi (seasonal cakes), Yokan and Kanten (Jellies), Monaka (adzuki bean sandwiched between crispy wafers), Manju (filled steamed dough items, like daifuku), and Higashi (dried, hard-packed sweets). (As per Toraya, a maker of Japanese sweets.) This is in distinction to Yo-gashi, which is Western style sweets (See also About.com for Japanese Foods here.) It's a good distinction to understand as you go through this list, although I can't swear that all of this items will fall into a neat category...

	Agar Agar - Japanese Known as Kanten. Its a gelatin made from seaweed, and used by vegetarians instead of jello. It has almost zero calories, and will gel at room temperature. Doesn't have a taste of it's own, but you can pour things on it for flavor. The texture is kind of slippery, but not unpleasantly so. The kind I had came with soy sauce, and was cut into linguine type ribbons. Would I try again? Sure - with different forms and toppings. Where I found it: JASMart
	Aloe Vera Dessert - Japanese White, sweet and creamy - sort of like yogurt, but thicker. And if you don't like it, you can put it on your face.... Would I try again? Yes, it was refreshing. Where I found it: JASMart Phil says: "I couldn't eat it. Looked like a bag of mucus."
	Amanatto (Adzuki Beans with Sugar) - Japanese They are whole "an" beans in a cute, cellophane bag, sprinkled with sugar. If you like the taste of beans (which comes through the sugar), they're a nice treat. And you even get some protein as part of the bargain. Would I try again? I wouldn't go out of my way, but sure. Where I found it: JASMart
	Animitsu - Japanese Another classic chilly dessert - this one Japanese (and for once, without the obligatory shaved ice of ABCs, Halo Halo, or PatBingSu...) The recipe - a cold, sweet mixture of agar jelly, sweet bean paste, bits of chopped fruits, syrup and (sometimes) a scoop of ice cream, right on top. Wow. Light...refreshing...the perfect summer treat. And a great way to enjoy sweetened adzuki paste when you're not in the mood for daifuku. This one wins the yum award. Give it a shot. Would I try again? Yes - especially on such a hot summer day (hmmmm...would probably be even better with Soy Dream!) Where I found it: Sobaya
	Baumkuchen - German/Japanese Apparently, baumkuchen is originally a German pastry, which has been adopted by Japanese culture. It's a spiral wheat cake, and looks like a pinwheel. The one I had was rather bland, your basic wheat cake stuffs. Nothing special. Although the homemade German version is probably more tantalizing. Would I try again? Not unless it's German . Where I found it: Tongin Mart
	Black Black Chewing Gum - Japanese The Jolt Cola of chewing gum. (Actually, Jolt now has gum, too.) Wired magazine wrote up this gum, which contains caffeine for the extra alert experience. It tastes somewhat like a chemical liquorice, and to be honest, I didn't feel more alert. Would I try again? No. Where I found it: Tongin Mart
? *Picture not found*	Cream Coconut Bun/Various Sweet Bread Pastries - Japanese Tried these bread pastries (which look like regular loaves) on Mott Street. The bread itself was sweet, with a little bit of cream decorating the top of the bun. A disappointment, as I had expected the bread to be cream filled. I'm not a huge fan of Asian sweet breads. If I'm going to have sweet, I want a "wow" experience, not something that tastes like just bread with some sugar thrown in. Would I try again? No. Where I found it: I can't remember the name of the bakery where I got this - but it's right on the corner of Mott and Canal. Might have been Taipan Bakery.
	Crunky - Japanese Your basic chocolate candy bar, by Lotte. The version I had was cookies and cream flavor (apparently, they have it in Japan too.) Would I try again? No - it seemed rather bland to me, and nothing special either way. Where I found it: JASMart
	Dango - Japanese Rice Dumpling - Japanese Kushi-dango - three rice dumplings, on a stick, covered with a sticky, sweet soy sauce. Pretty yummy stuff, and a regular kid's snack in Japan. I read that there's even a children's jingle about it, "Dango San Kyodai" (The Three Brothers Dango.) And there's a romantic anime cartoon called Hana Yori Dango (don't know if it deals with the food at all.). Anyway, it's yet another manifestation of mochi, and even easy to make. 1 cup mochiko (sweet rice flour), and about 1/2 cup water. You only add enough water to make the dough as soft as an earlobe. (Works for daifuku, too.) Boil some water, throw the balls in, and wait for them to float to the top. Then coat in sauce. (Why do I have this feeling that I'm going to get good at doing this, and then get fat?) Would I try again? Yep. Where I found it: JASMart
	Dried Preserved Plums - Japanese They taste (surprise) like plums, with a really nice aftertaste that sneaks up on you. There are some seasonings added, but I can't place the taste. Sample them at Aji-I. The only negative: when you try the sample you get plum only, which is yummy. But the bag they give you has whole plums, so the pits were an unpleasant surprise when I bought them. Oh well. I'm naive. Would I try again? Yes, but I'll take the ginger first. Where I found it: Aji Ichiban
	Dora-Yaki (Japanese Red Bean Pancake) - Japanese Sweetened azuki beans ("an"), sandwiched between two pancakes. Very popular in Japan. They're not bad, but the pancakes themselves are nothing special, and the Japanese have much more tantilizing baked goods to eat, like mochi... Would I try again? Yes, but I'd rather have a rice ball instead... Where I found it: JASMart, as well as at Minamoto Kitchen in mid-town (near Rockefeller Center). (Minamoto's a nice place, but way too expensive and 'precious' for my tastes.)
	Gummies - Japanese Made by Kasugai. I've tried the Kiwi flavor. Despite a label that says they're really juicy, they're kind of chewy and hard. I was looking forward to them, but was disappointed. Would I try again? No. Next time, give me a gummy bear. Phil says (a la Samuel L. Jackson): "Gum this, motherf-----!!" Where I found it: JASMart, as well as other places.
	High-Soft - Japanese By Morinaga. Best way to describe these are as teeny miniature Japanese tootsie rolls (they taste decidedly like them.) The two flavors I know of are chocolate and caramel. I can take or leave them, but Phil (my husband) loves them! Would I try again? No, but I have to buy them for Phil, now. Where I found it: Tongin Mart
	Marshmellows (Pudding) - Japanese Regular little marshmellows, with a vanilla pudding in the center (other flavors are available.) I was looking forward to these, but they fell flat. They're plain marshmellows, and there's less pudding in it than I expected. Not all that, and not worth a second try. Would I try again? No. Where I found it: Tongin Mart
	Meltyblend/Meltykiss - Japanese Made by Meiji. Little individually wrapped packets of miniature bite-sized nuggets: flavors include chocolate, vanilla, etc. They are very smooth and creamy, and in fact so melty that they don't get shipped in the summer. (They melt into complete goo.) They're a fun, rich experience. So far, I've just tried Royal White flavor. The company recently changed the name from Meltykiss to Meltyblend. Why? Who knows? Would I try again? Yes - although admittedly they're not so amazing that I'll buy regularly... Where I found it: Tongin Mart.
	Mochi - Japanese Japanese - Chewy-soft glutinous rice which is pounded into flour (mochi-ko or shiratama-ko), mixed with various ingredients and molded into shapes. Mochi is traditionally eaten during the Japanese New Year, and symbolizes good health and fortune. But its also available on an every-day basis, in a million different forms. Among them: Savory versions which are wrapped in nori seaweed and dipped in soy sauce (shoyu) Served in soup Diced and powered with soy bean flour (Miyako Mochi, Kinako) Rolled into balls, and stuck on sticks with a soy sauce coating (dango) Sweetened, and wrapped around a filling of sweet 'an' bean paste (manju diafuku) (My favorite!) While I'd love to review each type of mochi separately, it's almost impossible to cover every variant of mochi in these pages. (Although, I imagine that 'Gaijin Girl' will eventually have a separate page dedicated to mochi.) Variants of mochi appear to exist in every Asian culture: Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Hawaii, and in the Philipenes, where one version of it is called Palitaw. In its sweetened form, it's a guilty pleasure - sweet, chewy, decadent. (So chewy, in fact, that people die every year in Japan from choking on Mochi! So chew carefully.) If you're so inclined, they also sell mochi making machines for the home for $300.00. Four stars. Would I try again? I'd eat it more often if it wasn't so darned carbo-rific. Where I found it: JASMart
	Mochi Ice Cream - Japanese New to the market, it's mochi wrapped around a nugget of ice cream. Flavors include green tea and red bean. Smooth, chewy outside, cold ice creamy goodness inside. Yay for the scientists who engineered this one! A new fave hit! Four stars. Would I try again? Oh, yeah. Where I found it: JASMart
? *Picture not found*	Negita Ebikomaru (Shrimp Cracker) - Japanese Flat shrimp cracker wafers, with a two inch diameter. (Haven't found a picture yet.) Found them cheap at Tongin, $1.50 fior a pack of about 30. Negatives: they have a vagely styrofoam texture. Positivies: Light, shrimpy pleasant taste. Not bad, not bad at all. Would I try again? Wouldn't go out of my way, but yes. Where I found it: Tongin Mart
	Ohagi - Japanese Served for the Japanese Buddhist holiday known as Higan. Best described as a reverse daifuku, Ohagi are sweet mochi rice balls, covering with a dusting of sweet bean paste or black sesame powder. Like all mochi treats, these little guys are tasty, with a velvet soft, powdery texture that sort of melts in your mouth. Would I try again? Nah. I LOVE daifuku, but won't seek out the OHagi variation especially... Where I found it: Mitsuwa
	Parfait Berry - Japanese Made by Meiji. Little packets of perfection. A strawberry outside, a lightly crunchy oreo taste inside. These things are seriously additive. At $3.25 a box, they're a bit expensive, but since they're bite sized, they go a long way. Four stars! Would I try again? Yes! Where I found it: Tongin Mart
	Pocky - Japanese Pocky is amazingly popular. It's frightening how much some people rave about it. What is it, you ask? It's small thin bread sticks, covered with an array of different candy coatings. They come in strawberry, chocolate, coconut, almond, etc. I've personally tried the strawberry and the Almond crush. There's also a men's Pocky, which is a plain chocolate coating. Why? Who knows. I honestly don't know what the fuss is about. They're bread sticks. With stuff on them. So? A friend tells me that there's something equivalent in America, called "turkey legs"...and they're bigger and more chocolate-y. (Although I just saw a version of 'Giant Pocky' in a Chinatown Queens supermarket. So I guess Pocky has turkey legs too.) Ah well, to each their own. Would I try again? Nothing against 'em - just not that impressed. Where I found it: JASMart Phil says: "About time Janet posted something decent."
	Sweet Preserved Ginger - Japanese Found at Aji Ichiban. It's bright red in color, cut into shreds and available by the 1/4 lb bag. Tangy, sweet, and delicious! Best of all, at Aji Ichiban you try before buying! But you'll definitely want some. Warning: the juices from the bag will leak and stain everything it touches. Would I try again? Again, again, and again! Four stars. Where I found it: Aji Ichiban
	Tempura Ice Cream - Japanese Had this in a Japanese restaurant years ago, and sadly haven't seen it since. A hot tempora shell on the outside, and cool green tea ice cream on the inside. I've heard a Neopolitan is similiar? A must try - four stars if you find it on the menu! PS: Just tried a Malaysian version at Nyonya, and it also was good --very different, more deeply fried, but very good with it's own flavors and unique Malaysian texture. I hear the Spanish have a version too.... Would I try again? Definitely. Where I found it: On 34th street, but I hear it's in alot of good Japanese restaurants. Phil says: "It was good."
	Yokan (Jelly) - Japanese Japanese Jelly Cake, made from bean paste, sugar, and agar agar (see above.) At first glance, you would think this would be just like glutinous rice cake, but it's not. It's thicker, and grainier. I don't like it as much, although it's okay. Reminds me of eating the jelly/jam packets that you find in Greek diners... Would I try again? No, I'll stick with the glutinous rice cake. Where I found it: JASMart
	Zenzai (aka Shiruko) - Japanese Traditional red bean soup, especially enjoyed during the winter months. Known generally as Shiruko, the soup is very sweet, and studded with bits of glutinous rice dough (mochi) (and sometimes chestnuts.) I tried my version at Cha An, and it was quite good. A little on the hot side, but I can definitely see where it would really hit the spot on a cold December day... Would I try again? Occasionally. It was tasty (though not as good as Cha Ans chocolate truffles (those are four star...) Where I found it: Cha An