Japanese people don’t like too much sugar in their food. Sweet green tea is unacceptable and putting sugar in your noodle soup is just unbelievable. As such, traditional Japanese confectionaries are less sweet than those of other Asian countries. They’re best sampled with some bitter hot green tea.
Daifuku
Sweetness: * *
This round and soft glutinous rice cake stuffed with anko (see Anko 101) is the most common Japanese traditional confectionary. It literally means “great luck” and has many variations—the glutinous rice cake can be made with yomogi (mugwort leaf) or soybeans, and the filling can be either strawberry paste or custard cream—scrumptious.
Manju
Sweetness: * *
This steamed cake is made from rice, flour, or buckwheat. It’s normally stuffed with a variety of anko. The original form of the dessert came from China but has evolved to fit Japanese tastes over the years. Manju is often eaten during special events such as school ceremonies and funerals.
Yokan
Sweetness: * * *
This solid block of bean paste with added agar and sugar comes in two kinds: neri-yokan and mizu-yokan. Mizu-yokan is made with more water so Japanese people usually have it in the summer after chilling it. It’s also a common item for ochugen, a mid-summer gift-giving tradition.
Dango
Sweetness: * *
This Japanese dumpling is made from rice flour. Generally four small balls are skewered and covered with dango sauces, which are named after the various seasonings. Among these variations, mitarashi-dango (sweetened soy sauce), an-dango (sweetened red bean paste), kinako-dango (toasted soy flour) and goma-dango (sweet and salty sesame) are available all year round. Dango is featured in many Japanese folktales.
Dorayaki
Sweetness: *
It’s a Japanese pancake made from honey-flavored kasutera (Japanese sponge cake) usually stuffed with anko. A hit among Japanese youngsters, the filling has many variations such as whipped cream, custard cream, and chocolate cream. Today, dorayaki is the favorite sweet of Doraemon, the famous Japanese anime character. Thanks to the magic cat, dorayaki’s popularity extends beyond Japan.
Where to get them
Minamoto Kicchoan
Luxury specialty store for various Japanese confectionaries.
5/F Isetan, CentralWorld, Ratchadamri Rd., 02-255-9842. Open daily 10am-9pm.
Aihara-ya
Japanese restaurant which offers three or four traditional confectionaries daily according to the season.
59/5, between Sukhumvit Soi 23 and 31, 02-662-0121. Open Tue-Sun 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30-10pm.
Thai Yamazaki
You can find Yamazaki branches everywhere in Bangkok.
Try the branch at 5/F Isetan, Cental World, Ratchadamri Rd., 02-255-9831. Open daily 10am-9pm.
Fuji Super
Here you can pick up Japanese sweets at a reasonable price.
593/29-39 Sukhumvit Soi 33/1, 02-258-0697. Open daily 8am-10pm.
Toraya
This Japanese bakery shop offers daifuku only. Prices range from B50-60 depending on the flavor.
25/15 Sukhumvit Soi 55, 02-381-1836. Open daily 8am-9pm.
Anko 101
What is it?
Anko is a red bean paste that is used in Japanese confectionary and Korean cuisine. The technique originated from China and is a simple procedure of processing the small azuki bean with either sugar or honey into various pastes:
Tsubuan
The beans are just boiled with sugar, so it is a very unprocessed form.
Tsubushian
The mashed version. After the beans are boiled they get mashed up, almost like a puree but retaining the husks and skin of the bean giving it a hearty texture.
Koshian
The most widespread type of the paste, where the beans have their skin removed and are treated through a sieve, producing a much smoother texture.
