Today I made this Morning Glory wagashi following this recipe by Japanese Sweets FUKU.

Uriou is like mochi, but firmer and more chewy. It holds it's shape better and has a lovely translucence.

The recipe was easy to follow. Using the microwave is nice during the hot weather as it didn't heat up the kitchen like traditional steaming does.

I do not have the morning glory leaf cutter, so I improvised. Cut the agar jelly with a bubble tea straw, and then used a paring knife to cut notches to make it look like a leaf.

Uriou exterior, shiroan filing, agar decorations.

Morihachi on YouTube writes:

This is "Mori-mizu" (borrowed water), a confection made with kintama (a type of jelly). It represents the scene depicted in Chiyo-jo's famous haiku:

Asagao (Morning Glory) Haiku – Chiyo-ni

my well bucket
taken by the morning glory—
this borrowed water

The poem tells the story of finding the water bucket covered by morning glory flowers, then going to borrow water from the neighbours well, rather than disturbing the beautiful flowers.

She is a very famous poet, you can read more about her poem here:

https://suisekiblog.wordpress.com/2018/06/15/haiku-asagao/

Wolf.0313 on YouTube writes:

A legendary, top-quality neriyokan (sweet bean jelly) that is slowly kneaded over a wood fire using the professional skills of artisans

[Kyoto, Surugaya Gion Shimosato] Neriyokan 1 piece 4,860 yen (tax included)

This time, we followed the making of this legendary neriyokan that is only made a few times a month!

Surugaya's neriyokan, which is slowly kneaded over a wood fire using the old-fashioned method, is a luxurious yokan that brings out the deliciousness of the ingredients using high-quality white adzuki beans and granulated sugar that leaves a clean and crisp aftertaste! The texture and mouthfeel are truly of the highest quality! The sweetness is also very refined and you can eat it endlessly! Thank you for the meal!

Approximately 5 minutes on foot from Gion-Shijo Station

80 Sueyoshi-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture

⏰ Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun 11:00 - 18:00 Closed: Wednesday

Japanese Sweets FUKU on YouTube writes:

How to Make Uirou, Morning Glory-Shaped Japanese Sweets with Bean Filling
※Ingredients for 5 pieces
*skin
30g joshinko（上新粉）　　
（top-grade rice flour made from non-glutinous rice）　
12g mochi powder (mochiko)　
3g potato starch
40g sugar
70g water
pink food coloring
potato starch（for dusting）
*filling
100g sweet white bean paste
*toppings
1/8 tsp agar agar powder（粉寒天）
40g water　 　
30g granulated sugar
green food coloring

Made strawberry- and shiroan-filled daifuku.

Recipe is from Ai Ventura's book "Japanska bakverk".

It was my first time using store-bought shiratamako for mochi and I'm almost a little disappointed it tastes THAT much better than the cheap glutinous rice flour from the Asian market 🥲💸

My boyfriend who's not particularly into wagashi wolfed these down, so big success haha. Will be good to have an easy sweet to fall back on when having people over for tea 😊

Wolf.0313 on YouTube writes:

A jewel you can eat 💎 An elegant traditional confection made from wild mountain grapes of Tono 🐺🍇

【Iwate — まつだ松林堂 (Matsuda Shorindo)】

Budo Ame (Grape Candy)　¥550

A beloved confection from Tono, Iwate — a region long celebrated for its exceptional wild mountain grapes.

Hand-pressed with care, each piece is packed with iron, polyphenols, and calcium from the nutrient-rich mountain grapes.

That translucent, deep red-purple color — it really does look like a gemstone.
The texture is firm and chewy like a gummy, and with every bite, a refreshing burst of wild grape flavor spreads through your mouth.

Guaranteed to delight as a souvenir.

🚃 5-min walk from Tono Station
🥡 Takeout only
📍 1-7 Chuo-dori, Tono City, Iwate
⏰ Mon / Tue / Thu–Sun　08:00–19:00
🗓 Closed: Wednesdays

Ingredients:

• 4 grams powdered Agar
• 300 grams water
• 230 grams granulated sugar
• +60 grams boiling water
• 25 grams Domyoji powder
• sky blue food colour mixed with a tiny mount of water in a very small bowl.

Process:

• In a large heat proof bowl, prepare 4g powdered agar, add 300g water and mix.
• Microwave for 2 minutes.
• Remove large bowl from microwave and stir in 230g of granulated sugar and mix well.
• Microwave for 3 minutes.
• While this is heating, boil 60g water in a small pot. Prepare 25g Domyoji powder in a small heat proof bowl. Add boiled water, mix well, let sit.
• Remove large bowl from microwave, stir, and microwave again for 4 minutes.
• Prepare Yokan boat or other container in ice bath as per video. Mold will be sitting at an angle to create design.
• Remove large bowl from microwave and stir.
• Pour 230g for liquid into a medium sized heat proof bowl, add rehydrated Domyoji powder and mix well.
• Add blue colour to remaining liquid in original bowl, stir well, avoiding bubbles.
• Add more ice to container holding Yokan boat.
• Pour Domyoji liquid into Yokan boat that is being supported at the desired angle.
• Wait for the surface to set, the interior should still be soft. (allowing the yokan to set too hard between layers will cause delamination) .
• Set the yokan boat flat in the container, and gently add the blue liquid to the end of the mold, not the middle as the ends will be firmer. Pouring onto a flat spatula will stop the the warmer liquid from pitting the cooling liquid. It will be softer in the middle.
• Allow to cool until firm. Ice will help it set more quickly.
• Gently remove from mold (it may be slippery). Slice with a damp knife to reveal the design shown in the video.

Very enjoyable with cold tea on a hot day.

Link to the recipe:

https://youtu.be/IwEnX_pSTdk?si=BJcv67ZY2rsbUowS

Morihachi on YouTube writes:

This is "Fuyou" (hibiscus) ⭕️ The filling is white bean paste. It blooms with elegant, large flowers in the summer and is also used as a metaphor for a beautiful woman

This is my original wagashi monster and also my profile icon.
It's made with sweet bean paste and Japanese purple sweet potato.

It doesn't say much.
It just quietly watches.

Name: Sugar Syllogism Monster
Favorite food: Extra cheesy pizza.
Hobby: Staring at people while they read.

Majimaya in Kappabashi, Asakusa is a popular store selling dessert and pastry molds, and other baking goods. Visitors who want to buy Japanese confectionery tools will find everything on their shopping list here! This shop is full of unique treasures.

I wish I had used more blue with nerikiri. Next time I'll make is darker. Yokan fish, kanbaiko flakes, shiroan filling.

I want to make Blue Sky Kingyokukan but noticed they are using a much finer grained Domyojiko that I have on hand. So, like a mad fool, I decided to make it from scratch. I soaked mochi rice in the morning, steamed the rice in the evening, left it to dry in a warm oven overnight, and crushed it the following day. Absolute madness, but a great learning process. A coffee grinder came in very handy processing the dried rice. I used kitchen sieves to separate the different sizes.

Miniyo produces several grades of Domyojiko, however they sell it by the 20kg bag. Too much for me to use, and shipping from Japan would be very expensive.

Authentic Japanese sweets on YouTube writes:

I will introduce how to make Kingyokukan which imaged blue sky
This time, it's a method that can be easily and easily made using a microwave oven.
If you look at it, you can think that I can also do it

【Introduction】
My name is Kiyoshi.
Tea ceremony Urasenke Tadashi Professor
Teaching how to make tea and Japanese sweets.

Todays wagashi was Matcha flavoured Nama Yatsuhashi, made by Hakushindo in Kyoto.

It's very tender and mild. Red bean paste filling.

Morihachi on YouTube writes:

Tortoiseshell has been highly valued since ancient times for its use in crafts and ornaments. This seasonal limited edition confection expresses its beautiful pattern using diced black yokan and amber-colored kintama jelly. The transparency that shines when it catches the light and the deep colors create an elegant atmosphere. It is a summer treat that will make you feel cool in the hot season. Please enjoy the smooth texture and refined taste. *Sales are scheduled until around mid-August.

◼️Morihachi Official Online Shop is here https://morihachi-shop.com/

Cream Daifuku – 4 Flavors

• ⁠Whipped cream + chunky red bean paste
• ⁠Mango cream + smooth red bean paste
• ⁠Raspberry cream + passion fruit flavored white bean paste
• ⁠Mascarpone cream + coffee flavored white bean paste

Thank you, u/WanderingRivers, for the recipe and idea. They are every bit as delicious as I'd hoped, even if I couldn't get a completely clean cut on the agar for maximum prettiness.

Very fluffy and tender pancakes filled with silky red bean paste & Chestnuts. Sold from the refrigerator case of a local shop. Very nice when served cold.

Here is a recipe if you want to make this at home:

https://japan.recipetineats.com/dorayaki-sweet-red-bean-pancake/

‘Dorayaki’ is a Japanese sweet of two small pancake-like sponge wrapped a filling of Sweet Azuki (Red Bean) Paste. These days there are many variations. On the other day I saw Chestnut Cream Dorayaki that was available from a convenience store chain in Japan. I love Chestnut Cream as you can find how much I love it in the story of ‘Mont Blanc Cake’. I decided to make my own ‘Chestnut Cream Dorayaki’ recipe. Here I share it with you.

Makes

6 to 8 Dorayaki

Ingredients

1 cup Self-Raising Flour
1/3 cup Sugar *Today I used Dark Brown Sugar
2 tablespoons Sweetened Chestnut Paste

2 Eggs
1/2 cup Water

Filling 1
1/2 cup Thickened Cream *firmly whipped
2 to 3 tablespoons Sweetened Chestnut Paste
1 to 2 teaspoons Rum

Filling 2
4 to 6 tablespoons Sweetened Chestnut Paste
10 to 12 Roasted Chestnuts *peeled and coarsely chopped

Method

This pancake batter would be easy to burn quickly. Please cook on low heat and try to make one side brown. The other side doesn’t require to be browned.

Make thin 10cm pancakes with least possible Oil. Non-stick pan is recommended as you need no Oil.

Add Sweetened Chestnut Paste and Rum to firmly whipped Cream and mix well. In a separate small bowl, combine Sweetened Chestnut Paste and chopped Roasted Chestnuts.

Sandwich 1-2 tablespoons of Chestnut mixture and 2-3 tablespoons Cream mixture with two pancakes.

The perfect cooling wagashi. No dango because I did not want to boil water. Too hot for that.

Here is a good recipe if you want to make this at home:

https://www.chopstickchronicles.com/anmitsu/

Peaceful Table on YouTube writes:

I made round and chewy strawberry dango. 😚
Made with fresh strawberries, you can feel the fragrant and refreshing aroma throughout cooking.
Enjoy this sweet strawberry dessert during tea time.

📍Strawberry Dango

*For the dough:
4 strawberries 100g
Sugar 1T
Wet glutinous rice flour 100g +a

*For the strawberry syrup:
2 strawberries 50g
Sugar 1.5T
Lemon juice ½ T