There’s an incredible variety of sweet dessert-style dango, which makes the amount of savory varieties pale in comparison. Sweet dango can be filled, topped or crafted with all manner of traditional Japanese dessert (wagashi) foodstuffs. A few of these traditional ingredients include anko (also known as an), goma (black sesame) and kinako (roasted soybean flour).

However, dango aren’t limited to just Japanese ingredients. You can get creative like I did and create your own toppings for dango; it’s your wagashi- make whatever you want with it!

If you’ve ever considered making your own dango, either with traditional or personal ingredients, this is your lucky day! Today we’ll explore the possibilities with dango and look at the many varieties of the dumplings. Get your steamers ready guys, there’s more to dango than you think!

First, let’s break down the different ways of making dango, including cooking methods, ingredients, and end with varieties.

Cooking

Technically, all dango are cooked in some manner. There are many ways to prepare and cook dango, varying in degrees of simplicity and difficulty.

Boiling
The easiest way to make dango is:

• Mix together mochiko and water
• Make mochiko dough into balls
• Drop balls in boiling water, soup or other liquid
• Cook for about fifteen minutes

Steaming
The next step up from boiling would be:

• Form the mochiko dough into balls
• Steam the dango
• Skewer the balls (optional)
• Roast the dango (optional)

Twice Cooked
Higher up on the dango difficulty scale is what I call twice-cooked dango. To make this dango:

• Reduce dango batter from a viscous liquid to a solid dough
• Form dough into balls
• Thread balls on skewers and steam

Shiro An Method
This is a complex method of making dango, but will yield unique dumplings with an interesting flavor and texture:

• Mix mochiko with shiro koshian
• Steam mixture and work sugar into mix
• Add additional ingredients
• Form into balls and skewer

Flours

Mochiko, glutinous rice flour, is what gives dango their super chewy, gooey texture. Shiratamako, another glutinous rice flour, is also used to make dango. A dango recipe made entirely from mochiko or shiratamako will result in a very soft dango.

Shiratamako is lumpy, and must be dissolved in water or ground before using in a recipe. I’ve heard mochiko can be used interchangeably with shiratamako with little to no adverse results. I personally have used mochiko in place of shiratamako and haven’t noticed the difference. Mochiko is also waaaay cheaper than shiratamako, especially if it’s bought under the name “sweet rice flour”.

Joshinko, non-glutinous rice flour, can be added in varying amounts to create a firmer dango. I recommend a ratio of no more than 1:1 of mochiko to joshinko for dango which is firm but still has some gooey mouth feel. Anything above that results in a denser, less chewy, harder dango.

Liquids

Water is normally used as in making dango, and boiling water at that. However, nothing’s keeping you from substituting other liquids or semi-liquids (anko, mashed fruit, pumpkin filling, etc.) for a portion or all of the water. Fruit or vegetable juice, rose water, milk, tea, or coffee can all be added to dango to enhance the flavor and change the texture. Also, extracts and concentrated flavorings can be added to alter the flavor.

The more liquid used in dango, the softer and gooier it will be. Less water will create a firmer dango, but will also result in a drier dango. Keep in mind you want the liquids hot, unless you plan on cooking the dango ingredients together anyway. Boiling the liquids will dissolve sugars and help bind the mochiko to the other ingredients, which in turn results in smoother, less gritty dango.

Additives

Certain additives, such as powders, non-rice flours, beans, nuts and seeds can be added to the dough, but it’s important to keep in mind how they’ll effect the texture of the finished dango. Small amounts of powdered spices, espresso powder, cocoa, matcha and powdered milk can be added to the rice flour(s) or dissolved in the water/ juice to create flavored dough. Experimentation with amounts is important in finding a recipe that works with your preferred texture and flavorings.

Toppings

After the dango are steamed and/or toasted, it’s your choice what you top them with, if at all. I personally am a huge fan of anko and goma an (black sesame seed paste) on my plain toasted dango. Drowning freshly browned dango in a sea of beans and sesame seeds is more yummy than it sounds. It’s up to you, though, to choose what to cover your dango with.

Some traditional ideas are:

• Tsubu An: Chunky bean paste
• Koshi An: Smooth bean paste
• Shiro An: White bean paste
• Goma An: Black sesame paste
• Kurumi: Walnut powder
• Kuri: Chestnut powder or paste
• Kinako: Roasted soy bean flour
• Mitarashi: Sauce similar to teriyaki
• Matcha An: Green tea paste
• Zunda: Dango topped with slightly sweetened green soybean paste
• Nori: Savory dango wrapped in seaweed

Dango Varities

Dango are named after their toppings, their added ingredients to the dough and their fillings. The above are a sampling of dango named after toppings (goma dango, an dango) but there are also dango named after what’s in the dough and the finished dango or how they’re cooked:

• Matcha Dango: Green tea powder flavored dango
• Kibi dango: Dango made with millet starch
• Yomogi/ Kusa Dango: Mugwort flavored dumplings (kusa dango were originally flavored with cudweed)
• Gomasuri Dango: Lil’ dumplings filled with black sesame paste
• Zunda dango: Dango filled with green soybean paste
• Sasa Dango: Dumplings filled with anko and steamed in bamboo leaves
• Kushi Dango: Skewered dumplings
• Sanshoku Dango (Three Color Dumplings: Sanshoku (three colors): Dumplings made with three colors. Contrary to popular belief, sanshoku dango does not refer to a specific variety. Any dango with three colors is sanshoku dango, including hanami and botchan dango.

Dango are also named for festivals and even fictional characters!

• Hanami Dango (Flower Viewing Dumplings): Three dango on a skewer. Colors are pink (food coloring), white

(plain) and green (matcha, yomogi or food coloring). Hanami dango are eaten during cherry blossom season.

• Tsukimi Dango (Moon Viewing Dumplings): Non-skewered filled or plain dumplings. Usually presented as a pyramid shaped pile of dumplings, tsukimi dango are eaten during the moon viewing festival. I’ve seen ornate tsukimi dango shaped like usagi (bunnies!) as a homage to the mochi pounding rabbit in the moon.
• Ikinari Dango (All of a Sudden Dango): Don’t know why this is called dango, but this daifuku-looking dumpling is made with satsumaimo topped with anko, wrapped with mochiko dough and then cooked. It’s a specialty from Kumamoto where it gets its name from being so easy to make. If visitors pop by, all of a sudden, ikinari dango is so simple, it can be whipped up in minutes.
• Botchan Dango (Named after a fictional character): Three dango on a skewer made from red beans, matcha and egg yolk.

Hopefully, I’ve inspired you to try your hand at making dango. If I have, keep reading for recipes on basic dango and complete dango recipes!

To begin with it’s good to know that the basic recipe for manju dough is comprised of flour, leavening, fat, and liquid. These manju recipes will make between 8-10 man, depending on size and choice of leavening. Here’s two basic dough recipes:

Yeast Dough

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp yeast
• 3/4 cup warm milk or water
• 1 Tbls. sugar
• 1 Tbls. oil
• pinch of salt
• sesame oil (optional)

Dissolve the sugar in the milk or water and add the yeast. Stir to mix well and then let the yeast proof for 6 minutes until it’s foamy. Add the oil to the yeast mixture and stir well.

Blend together the salt and flour then add the yeast mix to the flour, blending thoroughly. Use your hands to knead the dough into a well combined ball. Place the dough in a bowl and cover it with a damp cloth. Let the dough rise in a warm dry place for 30 minutes.

Dust a clean surface with flour and flour a rolling pin. Roll out the dough into 4 inch circles and place approximately a tablespoon of filling in the center of the round. Gather the edges of the round together and twist the top to seal. Use a dab of water if the edges won’t seal properly.

Cut out wax paper squares and place the formed man on squares. If you’d like, cover the formed man with a damp cloth and let them rise for an additional 20 minutes in a warm dry place. After they’ve risen, steam the man on high for 10 minutes.

Makes 10 Manju

Baking Powder Dough

• 2 cups flour
• 1 Tbls baking powder
• 3/4 cup water or milk or soy milk
• 1 Tbls shortening or 1 Tbls. oil
• 1 Tbls sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1/2-1 tsp. sesame oil, optional

Combine dry ingredients and blend well. If using shortening, cut it into the dry flour mixture and then add the water or milk.

If using oil, add it to the milk or water and then add the mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix the ingredients well and knead the dough into a well combined ball. Let the dough “rest” for at least 15 minutes.

Dust a clean surface with flour and flour a rolling pin. On the floured surface, roll the dough into 4 inch circles and place some filling in the center of the round. Gather the edges together and twist the top to seal. Use a dab of water to seal the edges if they’re not sealing properly. Cut out wax paper squares and place the formed man on the squares. Steam them on high for 10 minutes.

Makes 8 Manju

When making the dough for a dessert man, you can increase the amount of sugar used. But be aware you may also need to increase the liquid, depending on how much sugar is used. I don’t recommend using more than 1/2 cup of sugar in any man, especially since the filling may also be sugary. You’ll go into a candy coma.

You can choose to finagle these basic recipes to your taste, experimenting with more yeast, which’ll give it a stronger taste, or with both baking soda and yeast. You can also interchange the fats used or use a bit of each to equal the required amount. Don’t overdo the fat, however, or you’ll have an unnecessarily greasy man.

For those interested in the recipes I’ve tried, I’ve included four:

• Niku Man
• Kare Man
• Matcha Man
• Choco Man

Niku man is a savory manju filled with ground pork and Chinese-style fillings. I used ground TVP, substituted the bamboo shoots with carrots and went with hoisin sauce instead of the oyster for mine.

Niku Man

Dough

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tbls. sugar
• 1 tbls. canola oil
• A pinch of salt (optional)
• 1 tsp. sesame oil (optional)

Filling

• 1 cup cooked TVP or cooked pork, ground
• 1/2 cup bamboo shoots, chopped*
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 shitake mushrooms, chopped or 1/4 cup chopped maitake mushroom**
• 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1- 2 Tbls oyster or hoisin sauce
• fresh ground pepper, to taste

Make the dough by dissolving the sugar in the milk or water, then add the yeast. Stir to mix well and then let the yeast proof for 6 minutes until it’s foamy. Add the oil(s) to the yeast mixture and stir well.

Blend together the salt and flour then add the yeast mix to the flour, blending thoroughly. Use your hands to knead the dough into a well combined ball.

Place the dough in a clean bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough rise in a warm dry place for 30 minutes. Make the filling while the dough is rising.

Make the filling by blending all the filling ingredients together and set them aside.

Dust a clean surface with flour and flour a rolling pin. Roll out the dough into 4 inch circles and place approximately one tablespoon of filling in the center of the round.

Gather the edges of the round together and twist the top to seal. Use a dab of water on the dough if the edges won’t seal properly. Cut out wax paper squares and place the formed man on the squares. If you’d like, cover the formed man with a damp cloth and let them rise for an additional 20 minutes in a warm dry place. After they’ve risen, steam the man on high for 10 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Makes 10 Niku Man

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Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 1 hour 20 minutes (if letting dough rise twice)| Ingredient Availability: Moderate

I had my doubts about Kare (Curry) Man, but they all disappeared after one bite. This man is a must for fans of Japanese-style curry. I substituted TVP chunks for the chicken.

Kare Man (Curry Man)

Dough

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tbls. sugar
• 1 tbls. canola oil
• A pinch of salt (optional)
• 1 tsp. sesame oil (optional)
• 1 tsp. turmeric powder***
• A pinch of salt (optional)

Filling

• 1 cup TVP or cooked chicken, chopped
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup carrot, chopped
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 2 blocks Japanese style curry roux, chopped****
• 3 Tbls water

Make the dough as for Niku Man except, blend the turmeric powder with the flour and salt before adding the liquids and oils. Make the filling while the dough is rising.

Make the filling by first melting the roux with the water. You can melt the curry either in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave on high for 30-45 seconds or on the stove in a saucepan over low heat.

Combine chicken, onion, carrot and green onion in a large bowl. Add hot melted curry roux and blend well.

Dust a clean surface with flour and flour a rolling pin. Roll out the dough into 4 inch circles and place approximately one tablespoon of filling in the center of the round.

Gather and stretch the edges of the round together over the filling and twist the top to seal. Use a dab of water if the edges won’t seal properly. Cut out wax paper squares and place the formed man on the squares. If you’d like, cover the formed man with a damp cloth and let them rise for an additional 20 minutes in a warm dry place. After they’ve risen, steam the man on high for 10 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Makes 10 Kare Man

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Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 1 hour 20 minutes (if letting dough rise twice)| Ingredient Availability: Easy

Matcha man was the first manju I’d ever eaten. It was a store bought variety and was bland and dry. I was not impressed. Making matcha man at home and filling it with anko made it moist and delicious. Eat this one right out of the steamer for maximum yumminess.

Matcha Man

Dough

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbls. baking powder
• 1 generous Tbls matcha
• 1 tbls. canola oil
• 3/4 cup milk or soymilk, at room temperature
• A dash of salt (optional)

Filling

• 3/4 koshi or tsbushi an, divided into 8 balls

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, matcha, and salt. Add oil to milk and blend well. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Knead the dough into a well combined ball. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let the dough “rest” for 15 minutes.

Roll out the dough into 4 inch circles and place an anko ball in the center of the rounds. Gather the edges together and twist the top to seal. Pinch off any extra dough and flip manju over so sealed top is facing down. Pat man into a semi-spherical shape and place it, seal-side down on wax paper squares. Steam on high for 10 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Makes 8 Matcha Man

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Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 45 minutes | Ingredient Availability: Moderate to Difficult

Choco man; a gooey taste of East meets West. Use whichever chocolate for the center which floats your boat. Be it, dark, milk, bitter, semi, ganache, Snicker’s, whatever, use plenty for a tasty choco overload!

Choco Man

Dough

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4-1/3 cups cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp. yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 Tbls canola oil
• dash of salt (optional)

Filling

• 1/2 cup chocolate chips or
• 1/2 cup your choice chocolate bar, broken

Make the dough by dissolving 1 Tbls of the sugar in the water, then add the yeast. Stir to mix well and then let the yeast proof for 6 minutes until it’s foamy. Add the oil to the yeast mixture and stir well.

Whisk together flour, remaining sugar, baking powder, cocoa, and salt. Add the yeast mix to the flour, blending thoroughly. Use your hands to knead the dough into a well combined ball.

Place the dough in a clean bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough rise in a warm dry place for 30 minutes.

Dust a clean surface with flour and flour a rolling pin. Roll out the dough into 4 inch circles and place approximately a tablespoon of chocolate in the center of the round.

Gather the edges together and twist the top to seal. Pinch off any extra dough and flip the manju over so the sealed top is facing down. Pat the man into a bi-spherical shape and place it, seal-side down on wax paper squares. If you’d like, cover the finished man with a damp cloth and let them rise for an additional 20 minutes in a warm dry place. After they’ve risen, steam the man on high for 10 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Makes 10 Choco Man

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Difficulty: Moderate | Time: 1 hour 20 minutes (if letting dough rise twice)| Ingredient Availability: Easy

Out of all the manju I made, I must say the kare and matcha man were my absolute favorites. The curry manju had a kick because of the turmeric and the matcha man had a great balance of bitter tea and sweet tsbu an. I highly recommend eating these treats hot outta the steamer. Although, manju would also be the perfect traveling food since it’s so compact.

However you choose to eat manju, remember, it’s your choice and your manju. Make it how you like and eat it how you want!

The word manju is derived from the word mantou, the Chinese word for the treat which was originally a sweet mochi based bun from China. It was then brought to Japan in the 1300’s. Manju is also called chukaman in respect of it’s Chinese origins: chuka (Chinese) -man (manju). The Japanese took to the sweet confection and it’s since evolved into a savory or sweet wheat flour bun favored by the masses in the cooler months.

Manju, aka, man, is a popular winter snack in Japan. When the temperature drops, the sales of this steamed bun increase and there’s plenty of manju varieties to choose from to keep warm with. Even the fickle foodie will find some type of manju appealing to them.

Although manju is inexpensive and readily available at street vendors and konbini (Japanese convenient markets, including 7-11 and Circle K) people still make manju at home. There are a slew of recipes on the internet for making this snack. Some call for baking soda as a leavening, some for yeast, others for both. Some recipes call for shortening and some for oil, or both. Water is used in a few and milk in others. The combinations of the basic ingredients are impressive. Everyone has their own recipe for manju.

Some recipes say to use a yeast based dough for savory man and to reserve the baking soda dough for sweet manju. To be fair, I’ve tried all types of dough and have mixed and matched savory and sweet doughs with various fillings and haven’t favored one method over another. The yeast dough is lighter than the baking soda dough, but not by much. I made choco man (chocolate manju) with a yeast dough and it turned out well and then I turned around and made matcha man (green tea manju) with baking soda, which was absolutely terrific.

It all boils down to a preferred dough consistency and flavor. There is no ONE manju recipe that trumps all others. In fact, using the basic principles of a manju recipe, it’s possible to tweak a recipe to personal taste. That’s what cooking’s all about!

Aside from choosing how to make the dough, it’s also necessary to choose which fillings to stuff into the man. The possibilities are endless, but here are a few popular manju available at konbini and vendors which should get you thinking:

• Shiro Kare Man: Made with white curry.
• Matcha Man: Green tea flavored manju, with or without anko or other fillings
• Terichikin Mayo Man: Teriyaki flavored chicken with mayonnaise.
• Kare Man: Curry or tumeric flavored dough with curried chicken or pork filling.
• Pizza Man: Manju stuffed with Japanese pizza ingredients, including but not limited to, pizza sauce, meat, corn and cheese.
• An Man: Anko filled bun.
• Niku Man or Buta Man: Chinese-style meat filled bun.
• Choco Man: Cocoa flavored dough filled with gooey chocolate filling.
• Hamburger Man: Manju filled with ground beef and cheese.
• Koma Man: Black sesame paste filled man.
• Ebi Man: Shrimp stuffed bun.
• Squid Ink Man: Yeah, it’s what it sounds like…

If you’re thinking about creating your own filling, but are stumped for ideas, chew on these:

• Barbecue Man: Man stuffed with barbecued TVP or pork.
• Cheese Man: Provolone, mozzarella, and asiago cheese filled buns.
• Greek Man: Sun-dried tomatoes, olives and feta with a dash of lemon and oregano.
• Feista Man: Nacho cheese, black beans, corn and jalapeño stuffed man.
• Pina Colada Man: Pineapple and coconut man.
• Mocha Man: Espresso flavored dough with a chocolate center.
• Apple or Cherry Pie Man: Manju stuffed with pie fillings with a cinnamon flavored dough.
• Smore’s An: Marshmallow and graham center surrounded by cocoa flavored dough.
• Amanatto Man: Dough mixed with amanatto and filled with anko.
• Super Man (I couldn’t resist): Blueberries, apples and cherries stuffed into a bun.

Some websites have some truly inspired ideas for man, such as Ume man, a manju shaped like a plum and filled with koshi an, and Momiman, taken from momi- (short for momiji: maple leaves) and man. Check ‘em out for further inspiration (site language is Japanese).

Part Two of “Man, What’s Up With Manju?” will have recipes for you to play with, plus recipes for sweet and savory man. Keep reading for more manju!

Arare (hail stones) are made with glutinous rice (mochi kome). They can be either fried or baked, and have a crunchier texture than senbei. I like arare since they’re smaller than senbei and seem to come in more flavors as well. This particular snack, Tsuna Age Arare, is tare, “dressing” flavor.

Bon Chi Corporation is the manufacturer of today’s snack and they make all manner of senbei and arare.

Packaging

Great packaging for this snack. The green is appealing as is the bold kanji and equally bold romanji. The contrast in colors and reflective textures made this bag eye-catching in a sea of other Asian snacks. The actual arare are proudly displayed on the front and the back gives a brief description of the contents: “Japanese crispy snack. Dressing and salty taste. Good quality.” I like it when I’m informed how a particular food will taste. Score: A+

Appearance

Tsuna means “rope” and Age means “fried” in Japanese, it’s a fitting description for a snack that looks like twisted bits of deep-fried rope. The matte texture is a departure from the shiny sugar and shoyu glaze many rice crakers sport. Score: B

Texture

Tsuna age arare has a truly gratifying crunch. However, the crunch quickly melts way and becomes a greasy paste. These arare are definitely different than other rice crackers; they’re really greasy and oily. The oil sticks to the back of the throat and is too cloying. It’s actually disgusting how oily these crackers are.

One of the main reasons I like Japanese snacks is because the majority of them have a light taste and texture, even in the instances they’re fried. The grease in these rice crackers is a major turn off. I keep having to clear my throat or drink hot tea to get the oil out. My hands are also greasy. Gross. This is an unexpected find in a Japanese snack and very, very unwelcome. Score: F

Flavor

Dressing? Tare? These are supposed to taste like dressing? I wasn’t expecting a Catalina salad dressing flavor, but I was expecting some sort of vinegary tang. I’ve made many tare (dressings) and they utilize vinegars, miso, sesame, ginger and shoyu. Tuna age doesn’t even come close to any of those. One of the ingredients is vinegar powder, but it’s the seventh one listed. Vegetable oil is number two on the ingredient list. Oil wins over vinegar in this round.

These lil’ nasties remind me strongly of the American snack, Bugles. They taste like greasy, deep fried corn snacks, but there’s no corn in tsuna age. So there’s vinegar, but I can’t taste it, and there’s no corn and yet I taste corn…Score: F

Verdict

I’m very unhappy with this Japanese snack. It’s disgusting and nasty. This Japanese cracker is just like many American junk foods, right down to the grease and lack of sophisticated flavor. Even prior arare, which have let me down in the flavor department are way, way better than this. I’d rather eat shoyu and sugar then these icky deep fried concoctions.

On Valentine’s Day in Japan, the women give all the men in their lives chocolate (choco- チョコ). If the recipient is a co-worker, or someone the woman sees casually, she gives him giri choco (obligation chocolate). Giri choco is cheap and can be bought at stores everywhere.

The man a woman has special feelings for receives honmei choco (prospective winner chocolate). Honmei choco is a superior variety of chocolate and can either be bought or handmade. Men who get handmade food stuffs from a woman know where they stand in her affections: at the top!

Female friends also get chocolate in the way of tomo choco (friend chocolate), but the main recipients of Valentine’s Day goodies are the men. However, the men don’t return the favor of giving chocolate or gifts to their lady friends on this day; they do that on White Day (March 14th).

This way of celebrating Valentine’s Day won’t fly here in America, but I’ve noticed many anime fans find this practice intriguing. Some want to make honmei choco at home to give to their sweeties or they want to give giri choco to their classmates and coworkers. I say make a compromise and celebrate the day in a unique way with a Japanese flair.

If you’d like to give your special someone, male or female, something inspired by the Japanese way of celebrating Valentine’s Day, make them a Valentine’s Day bento. Or craft a handmade Valentine with と書いたり (From Your Valentine) or と書いたりもする。(Be My Valentine) written on it. For some Japanese inspired sweets make them a selection of goodies, either yogashi, wagashi or both, and put them in a simple, elegant heart-shaped box.

There’s no need to leave the ladies out of Valentine’s Day fellas, even if you want to celebrate it Japanese-style. Make her something nice in the way of honmei choco, and you’ll be the winner!

Need some ideas for some honmei goodies? Here’s a recipe sure to please the mochi fan in your life!

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Daifuku

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups mochiko
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 Tbl. plus 1 tsp corn syrup
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• red food coloring
• potato, corn or wheat starch for dusting
• 10 maraschino cherries, rinsed and patted dry
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 squares unsweetened chocolate, minced

Directions

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate chips and unsweetened chocolate on high in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir the mixture and return to microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Mix again. Repeat the steps until the chocolate is melted.
2. Dip the cherries in the melted chocolate and coat them well. Drop them onto a plate lined with wax paper and put them in the freezer for 20 minutes.
3. After the cherries have been in the freezer for 15 minutes, make the mochi by whisking together the mochiko, sugar, water, 1 Tbl. corn syrup and extract. Remove 1/2 cup of the mochiko mixture and tint it a desired shade of red or pink with the food coloring. Set aside.
4. Dust a clean work surface liberally with starch. Keep a bowl filled with starch handy for dusting your hands and any utensils used. Place the tsp. of corn syrup in a small bowl and keep it nearby.
5. In a medium saucepan, cook the uncolored mochiko mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan. Spoon some of the cooked mochi onto the dusted work surface. With either a well dusted rolling pin or with well dusted hands, carefully roll or pat the hot mochi to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness, depending on your preference. Cut out circles two and half times as big as the chocolate cherries.
6. Place a well chilled chocolate cherry in the center of each of the mochi circles. Quickly wrap the mochi circle around the cherry, pinching the bottom to seal it. If you’ve having problems smoothing or sealing the bottom, use a tiny bit of warm water to seal up the mochi. Place the finished mochi on plate dusted with starch. If the mochi cools too much when you’re working with it, heat it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.
7. For the hearts, repeat Step 5 with the pink mochi, but cut out hearts instead of circles.
8. To decorate the mochi, you can:

• Attach the hearts to the finished mochi with a dab of corn syrup.
• Coat the finished mochi in the leftover chocolate.
• Wrap some cherries in pink mochi and make white hearts for contrast.
• Drizzle some chocolate over the finished mochi.
• Sprinkle colored sugar onto the warm mochi then form the balls.

Makes 10 Bon Bon-sized Daifuku

I’ve wanted to try the pumpkin Pocky ever since I discovered it on the Pocky Gallery two years ago. I silently craved to try this Pocky, only voicing my desire twice. But apparently, someone was listening, and that someone was David. He found “Lovely Halloween” at our local Chinese grocery, of all places. The expiration date isn’t for another year, so I’m not minding this late Halloween treat!

Those unfamiliar with Pocky need only know this: Pocky are cracker sticks dipped in a wide variety of sweet flavorings. These coatings range from authentic Japanese flavors such as kinako, to “odd” flavors such as honeydew, to international ones such as chocolate mousse.

There’s nothing exceptionally spectacular about Pocky besides the interesting variety it comes in. The Decorer varieties are a real treat, however, as this line of Pocky is loaded with thick layers of creamy goodness, and look like cupcakes on sticks.

Trying each variety to taste how well Glico captured the essence of the flavor is the real reason I eat Pocky. Plus the crunch from the cookie/ cracker gives me my texture fix.

Packaging

What clever marketing! Glico took flavors already in their Pocky lineup, and with some creative packaging, transformed them into seasonal sellers! “Lovely Halloween” is what this variety pack was dubbed. The graphics are attractive and beautifully rendered with appealing shades. The strawberry Pocky sports an ichigo jack o’ lantern wearing a witch’s hat, the milk Pocky has a weird marshmallow-o’-lantern-ghost thing, and the pumpkin displays a standard American jack o’ lantern.

Pumpkins, stars, and bats adorn the box on all sides. On the back, there’s even an instant costume in the way of an ichigo o’ lantern mask for kids. Kawaii! Score: A

Appearance

Most Pocky look underwhelming; they resemble edible sparklers or incense. The Decorer (which this particular line-up isn’t) are impressive looking things.

Lovely Halloween is made up of pale orange, white covered, and pink coated cracker sticks. Whoop-de doo. Score: B+

Texture

Pocky has a satisfying crunch tempered by a sweet, creamy coating. They’re fun to eat on the go and are a real pleaser in the texture department. Score: A

Flavor

Pumpkin: What a gyp! Here I was all set to experience pumpkin goodness, but all I got was caramel! Not even kabocha, caramel. Weak. I keep waiting for some hint of pumpkin, or even pumpkin pie spice, but all that’s coming through is caramel. It’s not an unpleasant flavor, but it sure as hell isn’t pumpkin.

Why advertise this as pumpkin then??! There’s a frick’n jack o’ lantern on the box with the word “pumpkin” over it. Am I wrong to expect pumpkin? Maybe the makers of pumpkin Pocky believe American pumpkins (especially Halloween pumpkins) taste like caramel. I can’t think of a better reason for why I was so painfully cheated outta actual pumpkin flavor!!!

However, as a flavor in itself, the caramel for “pumpkin” is smooth without a bite and is not overly sweet. It’s actually tasty, but the bitterness of my pumpkin let-down makes the caramel taste like ashes in my mouth. Score: B

Milk: “Milk” reminds me of “Werther’s” toffee for some reason. It’s good and has a rich creamy taste. Score: A

Strawberry: Strawberry has a full, creamy taste and tastes like a strawberry milkshake. Strawberry milkshakes on sticks; the way of the future? Score: A

Verdict

The packaging for this variety pack makes this a visually appealing product, and at $3.60 for four packs of Pocky, this is a steal. But, don’t expect to be wowed by the flavors, all of which are available as individual flavors year round. If anything, buy “Lovely Halloween” for its aesthetics and the free strawberry witch jack o’ lantern mask.

When it gets cold, we all like to munch on comfort foods in the warmth of our cozy abodes. Many comforting foods happen to be cooked in one pot, making them easy and delicious. One simple Japanese comfort food is oden. Oden is a popular winter Japanese hot pot stew, with regional ingredients varying across the country. A hot pot is defined as a dish in which foods (veggies, meats, etc.) are boiled in a simmering broth.

Most ingredients for oden tend to be vegetable, seafood or tofu products, although anything can be used. I made this simple oden variation with ingredients I love:

Oden

• 1 daikon, peeled and cut into chunks
• 6 chikuwa, cut in halves
• 3 soft boiled eggs, peeled
• 1 block konnyaku, cut in half, then cut into 16 triangles
• 2 blocks satsuma age, cut into 8 triangles
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 large potatoes, cut into chunks
• 10 squares atsuage, cut in halves
• 14 tsukune
• 2/3 cup sake
• 10 cups dashi
• 1/3 cup soy
• 1/4 cup mirin
• scant amount spicy mustard

1. In a large pot, mix sake, dashi, soy sauce, and mirin. Add all the ingredients to the broth, except the spicy mustard. Bring all to a boil then cover and simmer on low for an hour.

2. Remove from heat and spoon ingredients equally into bowls. Serve with hot mustard on the side.

Makes 8 Servings

That was easy, but the oden tasted great! Some other traditional options for a hearty oden are:

• tako
• abura age
• shirataki
• ganmodoki
• gobomaki
• hanpen
• fuku-bukuro ni
• konbumaki

This Japanese 7-11 page has some excellent photos of national and regional oden ingredients. The site language is Japanese but the pictures translate the names into a language we all know: Yummm!

Difficulty: Easy | Time: 1 hour 20 minutes | Ingredient Availability: Moderate to Difficult

It’s not much of a secret that I love Japanese sweets, aka wagashi. In my free time, I go on the .jp and search out new wagashi to research and try. I spend hours pouring over websites and trying my hand at translating katakana.

The only thing that really gets me through the massive amounts of translating and finagling is the Japanese’s love of pictures. Thanks to many illustrative photos and videos, I’ve been able to cobble together the rudimentary beginnings of a wagashi cookbook. One of the first recipes I tried off the .jp was kimishigure.

Kimishigure is made from egg yolks (kimi), bean paste (shiro koshi an and aka koshi an) rice flour (joshinko), water (mizu) and sugar (johakuto). Simple, right? This particular wagashi is a bit tricky since it must crack open when it steams, otherwise, it just isn’t kimishigure.

Adding too much water or too much sugar will hamper the cracks from developing, resulting in uncracked kimishigure. I learned this fact the hard way. My first try of kimishigure ended not so well, as it was not cracked and was overcooked. However, the wagashi were still tasty and pretty, just not as tasty and pretty as they could have been.

Here’s a simple recipe for this elegant and tasty wagashi I found and tailored:

Kimishigure

• 1 2/3 cups shiro koshi an
• 1 cup plus 2 1/2 Tbls. aka koshi an
• 1/4 cup joshinko (non-glutinous rice flour)
• 2 egg yolks, beaten and divided into 3/4 and 1/4 portions
• food coloring, optional
• sarashian (anko powder), optional

1. Wrap the shiro koshi an in plastic wrap and microwave on high for four minutes. Or, heat over medium heat until piping hot and bubbly, making sure not to over dry or burn the an.

2. In the hot shiro an, mix in 3/4 of the egg yolks and blend well. Scoop hot shiro an and yolk mix onto a wax paper-lined cookie sheet and spread it around. Cover with a clean, damp cotton cloth to prevent drying and let cool 20 minutes.

3. After the shiro an is cooled, add the joshinko and remaining yolk. Mix well. Add the food coloring at this time if you’re using it, keeping in mind natural, light colors work best with wagashi. Traditionally, the kimishigure is not colored, but is simply rolled around in the sarashian for added effect. But go nuts. Own that kimishigure!

4. Evenly divide the anko and roll it into 15 balls. Set aside. Evenly divide the kimishigure dough and roll it into 15 balls.

5. In a clean palm, flatten the kimishigure dough into an even round. Place a ball of anko in the round and carefully wrap the anko with the round. Make sure the dough is of an even thickness around the anko center to ensure proper cracking. I shaped mine into ovals and rounds, but you can choose a more traditional route and simply make round balls.

6. Coat each ball with sarashian, if using, patting the powder lightly but firmly into the dough.

7. Line a steamer tray with a damp cotton cloth and place the kimishigure on the cloth approximately 3/4″ apart. Steam them on high for 7-10 minutes or till they crack. Do not steam them longer than 12 minutes as they’ll get tough.

Makes 15

The flavor for kimishigure is reminiscent of fortune cookies and rice pudding and is absolutely delish. The egg yolks are the only added fat in this dessert and you can control the amount of sugar of the kimishigure either in the anko (if you make your own) or in the dough, making kimishigure a healthy dessert alternative.

You can be very creative when making kimishigure or you can take the traditional route and make classic kimishigure without all the frills. If you’re daunted by the thought of “beans as dessert”, use a piece of milk or dark chocolate in the middle instead of anko and coat the outside with cocoa for a kimishigure truffle. Believe it or not, however, the flavor of the beans from the shiro an is undetectable in kimishigure and most wagashi. I’ve found lima beans make the best shiro an for kimishigure since they taste more buttery than beany.

Give this traditional wagashi a whirl in your kitchen and let me know how yours turn out!

Difficulty:Moderate | Time:50 minutes | Ingredient Availability: Moderate

Mitsuya Cider promises that it’ll taste like cider, at least, that’s what I got from the packaging. “Cider” is not a flavor I see often in hard candy, and Japanese hard candy hasn’t been as disappointing as Western hard candy-at least the Japanese candy I’ve tried so far.

The people who make Mitsuya Cider, Asahi, are part of the same giant mega-corp who manufacture alcoholic beverages, pharmaceuticals, and soft drinks. It would make sense for a huge beverage company to make candy modeled after their own drinks. Mitsuya Cider is an Asahi beverage, which is said to taste like “Sprite”. Mitsuya Cider is also available in white peach, grape, lemon and mikan (orange).

Packaging

The bag has bold fonts, which make it easy to read the giant English words on the front. Good use of colors and transparent materials add interest to the packaging. The apple on the front is further proof the candy is of the apple cider variety. Three balls on the packaging display the candies inside, which are individually packaged.

Each candy is individually wrapped and labeled according to flavor. Interestingly, there are two “cider” flavors, making a total of four flavors, despite the packaging on the front. Bonus flavor? One packet is green and simply says “Mitsuya Cider” and the other is yellow, sports an apple and also reads “Mitsuya Cider”. So which one is cider? And why bother calling both cider, since cider is made from apples and only one packet has an apple? I’ll bet the one with the apple is the apple cider…
Score: A

Appearance

Hard candy only works for me if it’s in ball form. Mitsuya Cider are nickel-sized balls with a satiny sheen. The pastel colors of pink, white, buttercup and peach are attractive matches for the satin glossiness.
Score: A

Texture

Mitsuya Cider takes a page from its beverage pedigree and fizzes in a subtle manner as it dissolves. The effervescence isn’t a violent action, but a steady, pleasant tingling that accompanies the flavor. It’s definitely carbonated in texture (if carbonated can even be described as texture) and is enjoyable. Crunching down on the candy is like crunching on any other hard candy except with a bit more fizz and a quicker dissolve of the candy.
Score: A+

Flavor

Cider rocks. I love apple cider, but I can’t really say that the cider (sans apple) variety of this candy actually tastes like apple cider. “Cider”, without the apple, tastes more like “Sprite”, which is what the beverage the candy is based off is supposed to taste like.

If the candy was to taste like the beverage; mission accomplished. However, if “cider” was supposed to taste like apple cider; fail. “Cider” is still an excellent flavor, as it’s lively, bright and all together refreshing. But, no dice on the apple cider flavor.
Score: A

The cider flavor with the apple on the packaging gets close to tasting like apple cider, but not close enough for me. This cider’s flavor is a light apple, which doesn’t equate with cider. Cider has a deeper and duskier apple flavor. This flavor is more like sparkling apple juice instead of apple cider. Good flavor, but it’s not apple cider.
Score: A-

The peach is another bright flavor and has a crisp taste. It’s very full and reminds me of a warm summer breeze. Americans don’t have any famous, mainstream peach flavored soda to equate the flavor to, but this candy is very tasty and light.
Score: A+

“Grape” is like sipping grape soda. It has that fake grape soda tang which harkens back to my youth, when we kids would pop open a can of Vess grape soda while on picnics. Grape is intense and it really tastes just like grape soda. Mmmm, fake grape…
Score: A

The Verdict

Mitsuya Cider is the tastiest hard candy I’ve tried in a long time. The flavors are all delicious and the fizziness makes them a joy to eat. I highly recommend this candy. At $2.99, you get all the flavor of four tasty sodas without all the sugar.

The morning of the first day of New Year’s, people will drink sake and eat ozoni, the traditional soup of New Year’s. This soup has many variations and no one can agree on any one ozoni recipe as the “official” ozoni recipe. However, no matter what’s added, subtracted or left out of an ozoni recipe, the one thing which makes ozoni, ozoni, is mochi.

Mochi is another celebrated New Year’s food and is even featured as a New Year’s decoration, the kagami mochi. Pieces of toasted mochi cake are added to ozoni as part of a hearty meal.

I decided to make ozoni this year and have listed what I used in my own rendition of this traditional soup. I’ve listed ingredient variations so you can personalize ozoni for your own New Year’s celebrations.

Rae’s Ozoni

Variant Ingredients

• cabbage
• crab
• chicken breast
• chicken stock
• maitake
• miso
• mitsuba
• mizuna
• spinach