Decchi Yokan (Soft Red Bean Jelly)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 35 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 16 servings
- Ingredients
- 4
About this dish
Decchi yokan is a winter sweet from northern Settsu in Osaka.
Read more
Agar threads are dissolved completely in water, smooth red bean paste and sugar are boiled into the liquid, and the mixture is stirred while cooling to about 40C before it sets in a mold. More water and less reduction than dense neri yokan give it a soft, clean texture. It is remembered as an inexpensive sweet associated with apprentices when sugar was costly. Sweep the bottom continuously as it cools so agar and bean paste do not separate. Its high moisture means it is not shelf-stable; refrigerate once set and cut with a clean knife.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Prep
Rinse 15g agar threads quickly under running water and squeeze dry.
Cut to 3cm lengths, combine with 1000ml water in a heavy pot, and soak 10 minutes.
- 2Control
Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce to low, and stir 8 to 12 minutes.
Continue until no agar strand can be lifted with chopsticks and the liquid is fully clear.
- 3Control
Add 500g smooth bean paste in three portions, whisking each completely smooth.
Add 250g sugar and bring back to a boil over medium heat while sweeping the bottom with a spatula.
- 4Season
Once evenly boiling, stir 1 minute more to dissolve the sugar and remove from heat.
Set the pot in a bowl of cold water and keep scraping bottom and sides until the mixture reaches 40 to 42C.
- 5Control
Pour immediately into a rinsed 20cm square mold and skim surface bubbles with a spoon.
Set 30 minutes at room temperature, cover, and refrigerate at 4C or below for 2 hours.
- 6Finish
Loosen the edge with a thin knife and invert.
With a clean knife dipped in water, cut into sixteen 4 to 5cm rectangles and serve chilled.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Light ratio of 15g agar threads to 1L water
- Finish cue
- Loosen the edge with a thin knife and invert.
- Avoid this
- Do not soak it; disperse evenly in cold water and bring it to a full boil to dissolve.
- Storage and reheating
- Its high moisture means it is not shelf-stable; refrigerate once set and cut with a clean knife.
How Substitutions Change the Result
The taste, texture, nutrition, or cooking adjustment to expect when swapping an ingredient.
- For powdered agar, use 8g instead of 15g threads.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
35min, 4 ingredients
Category median
45min, 6 ingredients
Based on 144 recipes
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