Japanese Dessert Recipes: Dive Into Mochi, Dorayaki And Kanten ...

After getting super excited about a mochi kneading machine a few weeks ago, our minds have been stuck on the world of Japanese dessert recipes.

Most of us have probably had ice cream-filled mochi or a scoop of green tea ice cream, but we wanted to dig down into some more traditional and more interesting options. What we found: a lot of red beans. Japanese cuisine uses sweetened adzuki bean paste in more applications than you can imagine. Also ubiquitous, mochi: a glutinous, chewy rice cake that we have fallen completely in love with. Mochi can be a dumpling in a sweet dessert soup, baked, fried, stuffed with green tea cream -- the possibilities begin to feel endless. One last finding: Japanese desserts are some of the most beautiful, meticulously crafted sweets we've ever seen.

We are by no means experts on the subject, only excited, hungry novices. If you have a favorite Japanese dessert that we've missed, please let us know in the comments so that we can go eat it!

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• Dorayaki

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://justonecookbook.com/blog/recipes/dorayaki-japanese-red-bean-pancake/">Dorayaki recipe from Just One Cookbook</a></strong> Dorayaki are soft, fluffy pancakes, usually stuffed with red bean paste, nutella or matcha cream.

• Anmitsu

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://greencilantro.blogspot.com/2011/07/anmitsu-japanese-dessert.html">Anmitsu recipe from Green Cilantro</a></strong> Anmitsu is made of small cubes of agar agar (Japanese gelatin) in a brown sugar syrup. It's garnished with sweet red bean paste, mochi, ice cream, fruit -- basically whatever you can think of.

• Daifuku Mochi

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://globetrotterdiaries.com/recipes/daifuku-mochi-sweet-rice-cake-eating-japan">Daifuku Mochi recipe from Globetrotter Diaries</a></strong> Mochi, the beloved glutinous rice cake can be stuffed with just about any dessert ingredient you can think of, but often it's sweet red bean paste.

• Vanilla Kiwi Kanten

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://thecookieshopinenglish.wordpress.com/2010/06/14/cala-a-boca-galvao-vanillakiwi-kanten-jelly/">Vanilla Kiwi Kanten recipe from The Cookie Shop</a></strong> Kanten is a Japanese gelatin dessert made from agar agar. These delicate treats are almost always served with tea.

• Black Sesame Ice Cream

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://justonecookbook.com/blog/recipes/black-sesame-ice-cream/">Black Sesame Ice Cream recipe from Just One Cookbook</a></strong> Japanese ice cream flavors are always amazing, from red bean, to matcha to black sesame, they tend to be one of the less-sweet options.

• Japanese Cheesecake

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2011/08/in-dreams-cotton-soft-japanese.html">Japanese Cheesecake recipe from SprinkleBakes</a></strong> The Japanese have a special way with cheesecake. Part light-as-air sponge cake, part cheesecake, the finished product gets sprinkled with matcha powder and topped with fresh fruit.

• Ichigo Daifuku

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://peegaw.tumblr.com/post/6448522407/making-ichigo-daifuku">Ichigo Daifuku recipe from Notions & Notations of a Novice Cook</a></strong> Another variation on stuffed mochi, these are filled with red bean paste and a whole strawberry. Best cross-section ever, right?

• Taiyaki

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://mamaloli.com/recipes/dessert/taiyaki-recipe/#.UIWyfmk-vRc">Taiyaki recipe from Mamololi</a></strong> Taiyaki are little fish-shaped waffles stuffed with chocolate, custard or red bean paste. You can pick up a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Taiyaki-Japanese-Fish-Shaped-Cake-Maker/dp/B00065YBEU">taiyaki pan on Amazon.</a>

• Sakura Jelly

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://hungerhunger.blogspot.jp/2011/10/sakura-jelly.html">Sakura Jelly recipe from Hunger Hunger</a></strong> Sakura (cherry blossoms) are pickled, then set in a beautiful jelly, which rests on top of cherry and white chocolate mousse. We are absolutely obsessed with this dessert.

• Sweet Red Bean Soup With Mochi Balls

  This is total Japanese comfort food -- a warm, sweet red bean soup, studded with mochi.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/23/japanese-dessert-recipes_n_2003609.html

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