Wagashi for Dummies

[MagicCakeLady]

I'm a culinary student, and I've recently become quite fascinated with wagashi, but I can't find very much English information on how they're made and with what supplies.

I was wondering if anyone could point me in the proper direction to anything that was either in English, was a demonstrative video, or just had lots of step-by-step photographs or illustrations.

I'd really like to know what kind of tools you need and how to use them, and particularly how one goes about making monaka wafers.

Thanks for your help!

Mie

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by MagicCakeLady

I'm a culinary student, and I've recently become quite fascinated with wagashi, but I can't find very much English information on how they're made and with what supplies.

I was wondering if anyone could point me in the proper direction to anything that was either in English, was a demonstrative video, or just had lots of step-by-step photographs or illustrations.

I'd really like to know what kind of tools you need and how to use them, and particularly how one goes about making monaka wafers.

Thanks for your help!

Mie

This site: Cooking Japanese Sweets in Champaign-Urbana Goes through some of the basics. The most important ingredient is shiratamako; very fine high quality flour made from short grain glutinous rice. The recipes absolutely will not work without it. Unfortunately it's somewhat hard to get hold of outside Japan, although demand is on the increase. I hear a few places retail it in the US and Japan Centre in Picadilly (finally!) sells both the flour and mochi rice.

[allhailhata]

[berrypie]

The video clips that allhailhata has posted are awesome! ...except that the narration sounds a bit weird (I guess he's a Japanese native?)

I just bought some fresh strawberries today, may be I should try making some ichigo daifuku for myself?

I don't know if OP lives in a big city. Hopefully there is a Asian grocery store in her place (there're a few in Vancouver). I have a Japanese wagashii cookbook which also has a few 浮島 recipes ("floating island" = Japanese steamed cake?), if OP is interested in it, I will scan the pictures and translate the recipe into English in a few days.

Here is a picture of 浮島 that I saw from web.

[TalnSG]

Originally Posted by Columbine

This site: Cooking Japanese Sweets in Champaign-Urbana Goes through some of the basics.

Thanks for that link. Not so much for the cooking, as for finding out that Chambana has improved considerably over the year I was doomed to live near there. In 1970 we were doing good to get a major fast food chain.

[MagicCakeLady]

Originally Posted by berrypie

I have a Japanese wagashii cookbook which also has a few 浮島 recipes ("floating island" = Japanese steamed cake?), if OP is interested in it, I will scan the pictures and translate the recipe into English in a few days.

Here is a picture of 浮島 that I saw from web.

That would be so awesome! That's definitely one of the recipes I was wanting to try! If it's not a big inconvenience, I'd really appreciate it!

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by berrypie

I don't know if OP lives in a big city. Hopefully there is a Asian grocery store in her place (there're a few in Vancouver). I have a Japanese wagashii cookbook which also has a few 浮島 recipes ("floating island" = Japanese steamed cake?), if OP is interested in it, I will scan the pictures and translate the recipe into English in a few days.
[/IMG]

ooh, seconded. I'd like that recipe!

@Tain. haha, glad to hear it. I have no idea where Chambana even is.

[MagicCakeLady]

Sorta bumping, sorta curious about something semi-related:

I've been looking for a good shiro an recipe, and it got me wondering; has anyone ever heard of an being made with edamame?

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by MagicCakeLady

Sorta bumping, sorta curious about something semi-related:

I've been looking for a good shiro an recipe, and it got me wondering; has anyone ever heard of an being made with edamame?

Yes, it`s called ずんだ. I think it`s famous around Sendai, but I`m not 100% certain. It`s not all that common in the rest of the country.