Yokan, Uiloh, Suama, Ganzuki, Yubeshi, Kurumi tofu

Yokan is a traditional Japanese sweet made from boiled red beans and hardened with agar. It's like a sweet, hard jelly made from beans.

- Yokan paste is made by boiling down red beans and sugar and cooling it with agar. Because it is boiled down and kneaded, it has a high sugar content and is very filling.

- Mizu Yokan: It has more water than kneaded yokan and has a texture similar to jelly. Perfect for eating chilled in the summer.

- Steamed yokan: It is a yokan made by adding arrowroot, flour, etc. to adzuki beans and sugar, and then steaming it to harden it. Chestnut yokan, which is made by steaming chestnuts together, is famous. The hardness is between kneaded yokan and mizu yokan.

In addition to adzuki beans, there are many other types, including cute-looking ones such as white bean-based matcha yokan and sweet potato-based yokan.

It is often eaten as is with tea, but it is also delicious sliced thinly and baked on white bread.

Uiro is a traditional Japanese sweet made by mixing rice flour, bracken flour, or wheat flour with sugar and warm water and then steaming the mixture. It is famous as a specialty of Nagoya, but there are also famous shops in Kyoto and Yamaguchi.

There is a wide variety of flavors, and some are brightly colored and photogenic, such as brown sugar, matcha, red bean, and cherry blossom. Although it is a sweet that is known nationwide, it tends to be eaten more often in western Japan.

※ There are two types of Yubeshi: delicacy Yubeshi and Japanese sweets, but here we will introduce the Japanese sweets.

Kurumi Yubeshi is a traditional mochi confectionery made from rice flour that is eaten in the Tohoku region. It has walnuts and feels like a Japanese-style brownie. This mochi confectionery is characterized by its chewy texture and sweet-salt flavor with soy sauce and miso. There are also sesame-filled sesame seeds, which are famous sweets from the Tohoku region.

"Kurumi tofu" is made by straining grated walnuts, adding water and sugar, and hardening them with kuzu powder. It's like a pudding made from walnuts. In recent years, cheap products hardened with agar etc. are also sold in supermarkets. There are very few shops that serve them individually as sweets.

In the Tohoku region, it is an essential dish for vegetarian meals such as Obon and memorial services. In the case of Shojin ryori, it is served with a sweet and salty sauce with a hint of ginger.

Similarly, tofu made from sesame seeds is called sesame tofu. Both are healthy, nutritious, and have a gentle taste. Please try it if you have a chance.

Suama is a rice cake confectionery made by kneading Joshinko with hot water, steaming it, adding sugar and pounding it while still hot. Since it does not contain red bean paste, it has a modest sweetness and is popular among people who like mochi dough. Rather, it is a sweet that can be eaten in the Kanto area.

Ganzuki is a Uiro-like sweet made from dough made from flour, sugar, and water that is steamed and hardened. This is a sweet from the Tohoku region. Some are topped with walnuts or sesame seeds.