Wagashi Series: Ryuen Rakuseki and Maccha Rakuseki (柳苑: 楽石・抹茶楽石)
Ryuen specializes in a simple and elegant wagashi that combines a center of candied kuri (chestnut) embedded in koshian (sweet azuki bean paste) with a coating of sugar and kuzu (arrow root starch), some with the addition of sugary green tea powder (maccha).
Ryuen’s wagashi is decidedly [...]
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Posted in series, shinise, wagashi on Mar 9th, 2008
Wagashi Series: Sentaro Rice Flour Kasutera, Soba and Wheat Manju (仙太郎)
Sentaro’s kasutera (Castella sponge cake) is a real treat! It’s sophisticated in flavor, caramelly and very mochi-mochi (soft and chewy). Sentaro’s manju, both soba (buckwheat) and wheat are excellent and unique.
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Posted in omiyage, wagashi on Jan 26th, 2008
Ichigo Daifuku: Spring Has Arrived! ‘Good Fortune’ Rice Cake with Fresh Strawberry (苺大福)
Ichigo Daifuku (苺大福) is a modern wagashi (Japanese confection) that combines the traditional daifuku (大福), literally ‘great fortune’, with a fresh strawberry!
Ichigo Daifuku signifies the coming of spring as strawberries come into season at the end of winter.
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