THE JAPAN NEWS – Anko sweet bean paste, an indispensable ingredient in Japan’s traditional wagashi sweets, has been in the spotlight lately for its use in new types of wagashi. Dubbed shinkakei (modern) anko sweets and neo-wagashi, these beautiful new creations feature innovative tastes and textures.
There was a long line at Takeno to Ohagi, a store specialising in ohagi rice balls coated with anko in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, before it opened. The store is known for its distinctive ohagi featuring unusual ingredients such as dried fruits, herbs and spices. The beautiful appearance of the sweets is also attracting attention on social media.
One of the ohagi offerings, Nanohana to Mitsubachi (nanohana field mustard and honeybees), uses ingredients such as shiroan smooth white bean paste, yuzu peel, honey and matcha. The ohagi is coloured green and yellow, evoking the feeling of spring.
The Moka to Ichijiku (mocha and figs) ohagi spreads the aroma of coffee with just one bite.
A new product featuring dried passion fruit and anko containing salted cherry blossom petals offers a harmony of refreshing flavour. These unconventional ohagi were created by proprietor Hiroki Ogawa, who ran a Western-style deli.
“White kidney beans, an ingredient of smooth white bean paste, are often used for European side dishes, so I use them with herbs and spices to make ohagi,” Ogawa said.
Ebisu Seikado, a Japanese confectionary store in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, that features domestic fruits, is known for its signature dorayaki pancakes with fruit fillings made from Japanese fruit.
The store offered dorayaki filled with Yayoihime strawberries from Ibaraki Prefecture and tsubuan coarse red bean paste, as well as dorayaki with mangoes produced in Miyazaki prefecture and white bean paste, among other items.
Department stores and commercial facilities across Japan are also getting in on the anko boom, holding events featuring the sweet bean paste. According to wagashi critic Naruhiro Nishii, colourful, photo-worthy sweets completely different from anko’s conventional humble image have hit shelves one after another over the past several years. A major reason for their ongoing popularity is that these sweets have succeeded in attracting young people who were previously unfamiliar with wagashi.
Long-established wagashi stores are also producing sweets using anko with new twists and ingenuity. Ryoguchiya Korekiyo, an Aichi prefecture wagashi store established in 1634, sells limited offerings of beautifully coloured yokan jellied sweet bean paste bars featuring carnation motifs or depictions of various countries around the world.
Another example is Ginza Fugetsudo in Tokyo, which sells a yokan terrine dessert containing nuts and fruits. Anko is likewise gaining popularity at cake shops and cafes.
“Anko has been familiar to Japanese people for a long time. The nostalgia that the ingredient has is also appealing to many people. I hope a lot of people enjoy the unconventional appearance (of modern anko sweets) and the deep flavour,” Nishii said. – Yoko Tanimoto
