wagashi: kuromame daifuku, zunda-mochi, mizu-manju

wagashi 【和菓子】 "japanese sweets"

i love wagashi. 

i'm also fortunate enough to have a rather esteemed wagashi-ya (japanese sweets shop) about 20 seconds away -- momiji-an （もみじ庵）.

while popular in japan, it's not likely that you see them all that often in the US (esp. not in MD). it's a shame too, since they're really, really good. there are many different kinds too, but this entry will be focused on just three: kuromame daifuku, zunda-mochi, and mizu-manju (don't worry, there will be more blogs on wagashi to come).

kuromame daifuku 【黒豆大福】

kuromame, or black soybeans, are large black-skinned soy beans. the beans are cooked but they're rather firm in texture, and are slightly salty. the beans are mixed into mochi (pounded glutinous rice) and then the mochi is wrapped around a ball of anko (sweetened red bean paste). 

momiji-an makes all of their wagashi at their store, so it's fresh when you buy it. this means that the mochi is so, so soft and so, so chewy -- it's like biting into a cloud. the hard kuromame give the soft mochi a great texture, and the salt too brings out the subtle sweetness of the anko. i have to admit, i wasn't a fan the first time i tried kuromame daifuku, but that was because i bought one of those mass-produced ones they sell at the konbini. fresh made daifuku and mass-produced daifuku are two completely separate things -- and it was love at first bite with momiji-an.

zunda-mochi 【ずんだ餅】

green, eh? hmm...green tea?

wrong.

it's actually edamame. you know, green soybeans?

...i know, i was wary too! so wary, in fact, that this was actually my first time eating it!

zunda is a paste of ground edamame mixed with sugar (i KNOW, i know...). the paste is then wrapped around mochi and voila! zunda-mochi.

it actually doesn't taste all that different than regular anko, if not a little buttery (like salted edamame, who'da thought?) and it works well -- surprisingly well. the two azuki (red beans) on the top add a dash of sweetness too. there's no end to the magic that beans can do for sweets it seems.

mizu-manju 【水まんじゅう】

okay let's be honest here -- i'm not a huge fan of jelly-like things. and this is a very jelly-like thing. to be specific, it's kuzuko, which is a type of starch made from kudzu or arrowroot. the starch thickens and turns into a wiggly jelly when cooled, which makes it ideal as a refreshing treat on a hot day, if you're into that kinda thing. the kuzuko jelly is wrapped around anko and served chilled on its own, or sometimes served in a bowl of icy water, and is also known as kuzu-manju.

kuzu itself doesn't have a taste per-say, it just tastes kinda...plant-y? has...medicinal tones? it's VERY subtle, whatever it is, but all i know is that i don't like it in large doses. unfortunately, this is a rather large dose.

the anko is phenomenal -- a lightly sweetened koshi-an that's just as smooth as the kuzu jelly. the whole thing goes down easy, and hey, i'll admit, it is kinda refreshing. i just can't get around the large percentage that is not anko.

while it may not be my cup of tea, it could very well be yours. if you're a fan of things like jell-o, then you'll probably really like mizu-manju. as for me, i'll stick with shaved ice in the summer.