Jello Recipes
Japanese Jello Recipe
Yokan is a traditional Japanese dessert, which is made from agar-agar, sugar, and azuki beans. Mizu-yokan is so named because "mizu" is Japanese for water, and this Japanese jello recipe contains more water than other types of yokan. This Japanese jello dessert is a nice, refreshing treat on a summer day. Anko, which is an ingredient, is a red bean paste that you will find in Asian food stores.
Other Japanese desserts include different varieties of ice cream, such as green tea ice cream, fruit compote recipes, and flavored shaved ice. The Japanese prefer light, aromatic desserts to heavy, stodgy ones. This is also the case with their entrees and it is rare to see an overweight Japanese person (well, apart from sumo wrestlers, of course!)
Jello salad recipes and jello cake recipes make great desserts but if you fancy something a little different, how about a Japanese jello dessert? This refreshing Asian dessert is easy to make and enjoyable to eat. This is a vegetarian jello dessert in that the jello has been replaced by agar-agar, which is a vegetarian substitute for the more common animal based jello gelatin, so your vegetarian friends can enjoy this dish also.
Mizu-Yokan Japanese Jello
Ingredients -
1 ¼ cups water
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick agar-agar
1 ½ cups Anko (Japanese red bean paste)
1 whole ripe plum depitted
Preparation:
Soak the agar-agar in water for an hour, then squeeze the water out and tear it into small pieces.Put the agar-agar in the 1 ¼ cups of water in a deep pot. Heat it on low heat until the agar-agar dissolves.
Add the sugar and stir then add the anko.
Stir all the time and simmer until it is thick.
Pour the mixture into a flat container and let it cool until it starts set while still semi solid place the pitted plum into the middle of the dessert and continue to let set till solid.
Cut the yokan into blocks to serve.
Serves 8
Photo Description:
Agar-agar is very similar to jello and this delicious mizu-yokan Japanese jello dessert is really light and refreshing. A whole plum is coated with the agar-agar, so when you cut it into wedges to serve it, make sure every portion contains some of the plum. You might like to try making Japanese jello with lychees, peach, or mango too, for a different flavor. This Japanese jello recipe is simple to make and, as you can see from the photo, looks unusual and appealing. Anko, or red bean paste, is used both as a flavoring and a garnish in Japanese desserts.
What is Agar-Agar?
Agar-agar is a gelatinous substance. It is used as a thickener for candy and other foods, and also as a vegetarian jello ingredient. It features in many Asian soup and jelly recipes. Agar-agar is made from red algae, meaning it is suitable for vegans and vegetarians. Gelatin, the main component of jello, is made from animal collagen. You can use agar-agar for a Japanese jello recipe like mizu-yokan Japanese jello, or for most other jello recipes. This vegetarian jello is colorless and flavorless, so you will need to add other ingredients for flavor and color.
