A Guide to Japanese Desserts

8th December, 2021

Although Japanese cuisine is known for its savoury food such as sushi and noodles, Japanese desserts are also starting to make the rounds across the world.

Let’s explore a mixture of fusion and traditional Japanese desserts that you can incorporate into your restaurant menu.

Matcha Mille Crepe Cake

Let’s begin with a traditionally French dessert, the crepe! The Japanese have added their own touch to it by creating matcha green tea flavoured crepes, layered on top of each other with fresh whipped cream in between.

Ingredients:

• 400ml whole milk
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3 beaten eggs
• 25g melted butter
• 138g cake flour
• 2 tbsp matcha powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 240g heavy shipping cream
• 120ml ice cubes
• 2 tbsp Honteri

Preparation method:

1. Add milk and sugar into a saucepan. Once heated, mix with beaten eggs and butter.
2. Place a sieve over the mixture bowl and add cake flour, matcha powder and baking powder.
3. Sift the dry ingredients into the mixture as you whisk and keep mixing until the batter is smooth.
4. Pour the smoothened batter in a separate bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
5. Heat crepe maker or frying pan, apply a thin layer of butter and pour the batter to make a crepe. You should make around 14 crepes in total, one slightly bigger and cook them for 2 minutes each.
6. Add heavy whipping cream and Honteri into a cold bowl and whip until the cream is stiff.
7. Place the big crepe onto baking paper, evenly spread the whipped cream, leaving ½ inch at the edge. Repeat this process for all crepes to create a cake.
8. Transfer the crepe cake onto a shallow dish and slowly remove the baking paper. Cover with cling film, ensuring the edges of the big crepe are folded on the top and refrigerate for 2 hours. Before serving, flip the cake and dust matcha powder.

Mizu Yokan

Mizu Yokan is an easy Japanese dessert that is perfect to serve after a heavy meal. Although this jelly-based dessert is typically eaten in summer, there is nothing stopping you from incorporating it in your restaurant menu all year round.

Ingredients:

• 400g red bean paste
• 250ml water
• 4g kanten powder
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 200g chestnuts in heavy syrup

Preparation method:

1. Mix water and kanten powder into a saucepan and bring to boil. Lower the heat and let kanten powder dissolve. Add red bean paste and salt; dissolve and mix with a silicone spatula. Turn off heat and cool for three minutes.
2. Pour half the mixture into the traditional Japanese mould, cool for 10 minutes and add evenly spaced-out chestnuts. Add the remaining mixture to cover the chestnuts and cool for 15 minutes before refrigerating for 2 hours.
3. Take out of the mould, cut into small rectangular shapes, and serve.

Mitarashi Dango

Mitarashi dango is a very popular Japanese dessert. Made with sweetened rice balls and covered with sweet soy sauce glaze, this dessert is perfect for incorporating into a traditional Japanese menu.

Ingredients for the dumpling:

• 20g glutinous rice flour
• 60ml warm water
• 20g rice flour

Ingredients for Sweet Soy Glaze:

• 35ml Honteri
• 28g sugar
• 35ml soy sauce
• 150ml water
• 28g cornstarch

Preparation method:

1. Add water into glutinous rice flour and mix well. In a separate bowl, add rice flour, hot water, sugar and mix well. Combine both mixtures to create a dough.
2. Divide dough into three equal portions and roll into cylinders.
3. Cut them into three equal portions again and Roll each portion to create a round shape. Cook them into boiling water. Once the dumplings have risen to the top, transfer them into ice water.
4. Place three dumplings onto a skewer, cover with sweet soy glaze and serve.
5. To make the glaze, combine all ingredients together. Add them to a saucepan on medium heat and whisk until the mixture becomes thick. Once thickened, remove from heat and pour on the dumplings.

Now that you know some popular Japanese dessert recipes, we hope you can incorporate them into your restaurant menu and wow your customers. For information on how and where to purchase Honteri Mirin, please get in touch with our expert team.