Anmitsu (Japanese Agar Jelly Red Bean Fruit Dessert)
Anmitsu is a Japanese dessert with roots in the Meiji era, evolving from mitsumame - a simpler dish of agar cubes and boiled peas - when sweet azuki bean paste was added to create a more substantial treat. The base is kanten jelly, made from agar-agar dissolved in water, set into a firm, translucent block, and cut into cubes that have a clean snap unlike gelatin's wobble. Around the jelly, the bowl is arranged with seasonal fruits - mandarin segments, peach slices, cherries - alongside a mound of tsubuan (coarsely mashed sweet red beans) and small balls of shiratama mochi that are chewy and glutinous. A separate pitcher of kuromitsu - dark brown sugar syrup from Okinawa - is poured over at the table, its deep molasses-like sweetness tying the disparate elements together. Each spoonful brings a different combination of textures: crisp jelly, soft fruit, sticky mochi, and grainy bean paste.
Adjust Servings
Instructions
- 1
Boil water with agar powder and sugar for 2 minutes until dissolved.
- 2
Pour into a tray, cool, and chill until set.
- 3
Cut jelly into cubes and prepare fruits and mochi.
- 4
Arrange jelly, fruits, mochi, and red bean paste in bowls.
- 5
Drizzle syrup and serve immediately.
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