Wagashi (和菓子)- Gyūhi

Can you spot the wagashi?

The word "wagashi" may not be a familiar term for many people but for those chinese educated one, the chinese term may looks familiar to them. Wagashi can be easily explained as Traditional Japanese Confectionery. The most common is adzuki bean paste wrapped with mochi skin. If you ever visit the Japanese supermarket, you will realized these colourful wagashi in various flowers shape and you start questioning yourself, is that edible? Why I said so, cause this is too pretty to be eaten! Been asking around for a wagashi course in Singapore and have no luck. My hubby's Japanese colleague was telling me this is something you have to start from apprentice in Japan and to make a good wagashi, it may take up to 10 years. Oops.. okie.. since it sounds so impossible, let me just start with the simplest one with adzuki bean paste. No worry, I don't have 10 years kungfu either, means everyone can make this.

Many years ago, I took up the japanese language lesson in Penang. Straight to the point, I stopped it halfway due to some personal reasons. Kind of regret to be honest, the dream of speaking Japanese when travelling in Japan is failed. Actually I did speak, does it count when I only say "arigatou"? I admit that I like the language, the food and the place. It is the country that I revisited and feel like wanted to do that for 3rd time or so on. Not only that, when I am in Singapore, I like to wander around at Kinokuniya Orchard and looking for my books. I am not those kind who flip all the books but without buying it.. Heheh.. I bought it everytime I visit. Here comes my hubby, " You buy again? Oh.. the house is like a small library now". I always reply him with my cheeky smile, "but I feed u with good food, no?" Some may feel weird, how come not visited those branded shops at Orchard but... Ya, I am not a book worms but I bought alot of recipe and travel books.

The recipe below is adapted from a book called 我愛和果子. It 's in Chinese so I have to translate everything to put on my blog. The ingredients is not easy to get, only in those big Japanese supermarket, If you are making this, be prepare to run a few place before gathered everything.

Recipe for adzuki bean paste:
yield about 450gm

adzuki bean 200gm
caster sugar 150-200gm
water

1. Wash the adzuki beans in the sieve, clean thoroughly
2. Place adzuki beans in the sauce pan on high heat and bring to boil. Water added should be just cover up the beans.
3. Add in cold water once it boiled. Repeat until the skin of the adzuki beans start puffing up.
4. Strain the water from the beans and keep washing under the running tap.
5. Repeat #2, once it boiled, reduce the heat and continue to cook for another 40min to an hour until it soften.
6. Water can add in anytime in between to make sure the water level just cover up the beans.
7. Prepare a bowl of clean water, press the beans using the back of a spatula through a sieve. Make sure the bottom of the sieve touches the water. This is to discard the skin of the adzuki beans.
8. After you done with #7, add large amount of water into the puree and leave it for 5 minutes.
9. Pour the water away and keep the puree, repeat #8.
10. Place the puree in the cheesecloth and squeeze to remove the excess moisture.
11. Heat up 30ml of water with caster sugar in the saucepan, once it boiled, put in the bean paste.
12. Reduce to medium low heat , keep stirring until it become a thick paste. (where the bean paste can hold a shape)
13. Cool down in room temperature before using.

The paste can be wrapped in the cling film and kept in the fridge. After all this long instructions, let me tell u an easiest way to get this. Buy it from a Japanese groceries store. :) This can save up alot of hassle.

The next thing will be the mochi skin to wrap up the adzuki bean.

Recipe for Gyūhi (求肥):
Yield for 10

Japanese Glutinous rice flour (白玉粉) 70gm
water 140ml
caster sugar 100gm
soya bean powder (黄豆粉)
red bean paste 200gm

1.Sieve some soya bean powder on a big plate
2. Divide the adzuki bean paste equally into 20gm each,  roll into ball.
3. Put the rice flour in a microwave proof bowl, add in the water bit by bit followed by caster sugar.
4. Use 600w microwave to heat up for 1 minute and keep stirring until the sugar dissolved.
5. Heat up again for another 3min 30 seconds. Stir for 3 times in between.
6. It has to be a bit translucent at this stage.
7. Place the skin on the plate with the soya bean powder. Divide them into 10 portion.
8. Roll it into ball and press down in the middle.
9. Bring 20gm of adzuki bean paste under the skin and pushing the skin down wrapping up the whole bean paste ball. Roll the Gyuhi into a ball.
10. Place the completed Gyuhi on a tray and sieve the soya bean powder on top .

Some may have wonder if it is the same as the glutinous rice ball (汤圆), I would say they are both using glutinous rice flour. Texture wise, I wouldn't say they are the same, if you are someone who goes for chewiness, Gyuhi is defintely the one, of course you have to be someone who takes red beans.

Brought a few for my hubby's Japanese colleague as an appreciation of translating one Japanase recipe for me. On top of that, I hope I can have a real Japanese to tell me how does it taste compared to what they normally have. The feedback I had is quite favourable. His wife said, it reminds her about her grandma's sweet. Well, I take it as a compliment, if my dessert do make her think about her grandmom's recipe, it's kinda success? :) Anyway, they are asking for more, I am more than happy to make them another box.