Why don’t you make this Japanese version of parfait called Anmitsu? It’s a Japanese confectionery that uses plenty of agar agar jelly, mochi (rice cakes), various fruits, red bean paste, green tea ice cream and a drizzle of brown sugar syrup as a final touch.
What is Anmitsu ?
Anmitsu (あんみつ) is considered as a summer dessert but we can buy it all year around here in Japan. This Japanese style parfait is made of small cubes of agar agar jelly, red bean paste called anko, mochi, various fruits, ice cream (either vanilla or matcha flavor) and boiled red beans. It’s usually served with brown sugar syrup called Kuromitsu that you pour over the Anmitsu before enjoying this sweets.
What exactly in the Anmitsu
Agar agar jelly (Kanten, 寒天) :
Agar agar jelly is a transparent color jelly made from tengusa, a Red Sea alga. It has no calories and no taste; and takes on the flavor of whatever it is mixed with; it solidifies at room temperature, making it simple to work with.
Red bean paste (Anko, あんこ) :
Sweet bean paste often made from Azuki beans, which is an essential ingredient in Japanese sweets. Red bean paste is either smooth (Koshian) or chunky/grainy (Tsubuan). It’s key ingredients of Anmistu because its name comes from the abbreviation of Anko. *It can be a perfect sweets for vegetarians and vegans.
Rice cake (Mochi, もち) :
A taffy made from sticky rice that has been steamed and pounded. It’s easy to use glutinous rice flour to make mochi. There are two kinds of rice flour; Dango-ko (or Joshinko) and Shiratama-ko. Dango-ko is made from non-sticky rice. *In my recipe, I normally use Shiratama-ko, which doesn’t require a steaming process.
Ice cream (アイスクリーム) :
Another important topping of Anmitsu for summer. Normally, either vanilla or Matcha ice cream. Somehow no sherbets for Anmitsu. *I didn’t use vanilla ice cream this time because to avoid conflict in color from Mochi.
Brown sugar syrup (Kuromitsu, 黒みつ) :
This is another key ingredients of Anmitsu because its name comes from the abbreviation of Kuromitsu. It’s called brown sugar syrup but is almost black in color.
Red bean peas (Aka Endomame, 赤エンドウマメ) :
A few boiled peas are normally topped with Anmitsu. Even in Japan, it’s hard to find those specific peas at the local supermarket. *I used the those peas from a canned Mitsumame.
A variety of fruits (Kudamono, くだもの) :
You can use any fresh fruits or canned fruits to create your Anmitsu.
Anmitsu is a traditional Japanese sweet. Anmitsu may be avoided by young Japanese people since there are various imported sweets everywhere. However, my family and I love Japanese sweets in general so we eat Anmitsu all year around. I always eat ice cream first, but please enjoy in any order you like.
The sweetness and sourness are perfectly harmonized thanks to the brown sugar syrup. Ice cream and Mochi are always perfect match.
You may be able to find canned Anmitsu at your local supermarkets, but please try handmade Anmitsu. It’s always the BEST!
Anmitsu variation
Many variation exist in Anmitsu. It started as mitsumame (みつ豆) for children in Edo period. Nowadays, you can see various fruits in the mitsumame at Japanese cafes or canned mitsumame product. But here are the basic understanding for the world of Anmitsu.
– Mitsumame : Agar agar jelly + Brown sugar syrup (Kuromitsu) + Boiled peas (Endomame)
One year passed so fast. My husband and I always talk and laugh a lot about her birth day last year. That day, I had an initial labor pain mid night (around 1am!), but I was trying to forget it because it was two weeks before the scheduled date. So I went asleep until 6am. I was convinced that my daughter would be born today, so I hurriedly started editing my YouTube (It was a Yakisoba recipe video!) until the taxi arrives at 9am. Then, after eating delicious lunch at the hospital, I gave birth Sui-chan within 1 hour! What a busy and funny birth day!!! It was and would be a memorable day forever!
At Sui-chan’s 1st birthday, my family and I did Japan’s traditional fortune game called “erabitori”. We put several items on the floor and wait until Sui-chan picks up the first item.
Those items are… – Globe (we didn’t have balloon in the house 😅) – Measure – Mirror and comb – Book (we didn’t have dictionary in the house 😅) – Spoon and chopsticks – Pen and brush – Money – Scissors – Calculator – Telephone
This vlog introduces what to eat at the new shopping mall Rayard Miyashita Park in Shibuya. I hope you enjoyed the previous Vlog which showed the new Miyashita Park and new Sequence Miyashita Park hotel. In the same facility, there is a lot of fancy and unique shops and new restaurants. Please check what we experiencedthere! For more information about each shops etc, please read the whole article from down below!
This vlog introduces the Tsukiji Outer Market (known as Tsukiji Fish Market) in Tokyo. Tsukiji Outer Market is one of the best places to eat fresh seafood in Tokyo. My family and I visited there on the weekend morning and tried several foods. Please check thie Vlog to see what the Tsukiji Fish Market looks like in the summer of 2020 and the foods we recommend! To enjoy this Vlog more, please also read the article down below.
I opened my shop on Amazon.com.* In this shop, there are Japanese kitchenware and cooking tools that I recommend! Please visit my online shop and take a look! https://www.amazon.com/shop/yucasjapanesecooking
* YUCa’s Japanese Cooking is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
In this recipe video, I will show you how to make poterico. I did the live streaming at the Takeshita street in Harajuku. During the live streaming, I visit the Calbee+ that is a flagship store of Japanese snack company Calbee. In the store, I tasted their fresh product called Poterico. I promised to recreate this recipe so that everyone can cook and taste one of the popular Japanese snack at your home kitchen. Now, here you are!
In this vlog, I’ll introduce new hotel, The Sequence Miyashita Park which has just opened in Shibuya. This hotel connects to the Miyashita park, which redeveloped for almost 5 years and opened to public finally. My family and I visited there and had the relaxing time in NEW Shibuya. Enjoy this vlog and current Shibuya scene!
Shonan（湘南）is the name of a region along the coast of Sagami Bay in Kanagawa Prefecture, central Japan. Centered on Enoshima, an island about 50 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, the Shōnan region stretches from Ōiso in the west to Hayama in the east, including Hiratsuka, Chigasaki, Fujisawa, and Kamakura. There are numbers of beaches on its coast line. So, the area is mostly known for marine activities such as surfing, SUP, fishing, etc.
Enoshima (江の島) is a pleasantly touristy island connected to Kanagawa prefecture by a 600 meter long bridge. There are many famous sightseeing spots on this island including Enoshima shrine, New-Enoshima Aquarium, Botanical gardens, Observation tower and caves; there are many visitors throughout the year.
Visitors can see Enoshima shrine when they walk up the hill. It is where Rabenten, one of three Bentens (goddess of arts and wisdom) is enshrined. There is also the Samuel Cocking Garden, which has Japanese and Western styles, and an observation deck around Enoshima shrine. The observation deck is the best spot to see the sunset from, and if the weather is good, there is a chance to see Mt. Fuji from that location.
In this recipe video, I will introduce how to make the Japanese baby food for 11 to 12 months old baby. From this month, babies can eat almost the same food as kids. So, I will show you how to make prepare a set meal for babies/infants. I hope this recipe video will help you to make easy and nutritious baby foods. Hope you enjoy watching this video and try it out! Read More
In this recipe video, I will show you how to make Tartar sauce. I understand that the Tartar sauce is not Japanese food but I remember that many of my cooking class guests said that Tartar sauce in Japan is a bit different from other countries and delicious! During this video, I introduce my family recipe and also introduce how to make the Ebi Furai (Fried shrimp). Don’t forget to check out the three tips that I recommend. Enjoy this recipe video and please try it out!
It was and would be a memorable day forever!
