Mizu Yokan (Japanese Red Bean Jelly)

Mizu Yokan is a Japanese jelly dessert made with only 3 main ingredients: red beans, sugar and a natural gelatin-like substance called kanten, which is suitable for vegetarians! This traditional wagashi (Japanese sweet) melts in the mouth and goes perfectly with green tea!

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What is Yokan?

Yokan (ようかん) is a traditional Japanese dessert made with sugar, red bean paste and a setting agent such as kanten or agar agar. It usually comes in a block shape and served in slices.

Yokan was originally based on a Chinese jelly dessert using gelatin, but Zen Buddhism forbade the killing of animals and instead made a kind of steamed yokan using red beans and flour.

An ingredient called "kanten" (寒天) was discovered in Japan hundreds of years ago and changed yokan forever! Now yokan is a popular dessert and gift in Japan, coming in all different shapes, sizes and flavours.

Different Kinds of Yokan

There are two main kinds of yokan.

• Neri yokan (練ようかん) very firm and contains more kanten, a little heavy. Also known simply as "yokan".
• Mizu yokan (水ようかん) softer texture with higher water content, lighter and served chilled.

Yokan can also be made with "shiroan", a white bean paste that has a milder taste than red bean anko. It can also come in different flavours such as matcha, cherry blossom, sweet potato and more.

Kanten vs. Agar Agar

Kanten and agar agar are plant-based jelling agents, and both are perfectly suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Although kanten and agar agar contain similar ingredients and are often labeled as the same. However in Japan at least, they're completely different things!

What is kanten?

Kanten is a jelling agent made from one type of red algae called gelidiales.

It is said that kanten was discovered in Japan in the 1600's when an innkeeper discarded some seaweed soup, only to find that it had turned to a jelly by the morning.

Since then, kanten has become a popular ingredient for making jellies, thickening soups and jams.

Kanten can come in sticks, threads or powdered form. Powder is the easiest to find and use. It needs to be boiled to activate its setting properties and only a small amount is needed.

Usually it's recommended to use 4g of kanten powder for 500ml of liquid in order to make kanten jelly. Kanten jelly is very firm so in order to make mizu yokan, I use half the kanten and increase the water slightly. This is necessary to achieve a soft, melt in the mouth texture. You can purchase kanten powder here on Amazon.

What is agar agar?

While kanten is made from one type of seaweed, agar agar comes from a mixture of different varieties of red algae and the ingredients vary from brand to brand. It was actually created to mimic the texture of gelatin, being soft and glossy, rather than firm like kanten.

In Japan, there are so many types of agar so it might require a little trial and error before you achieve the best texture. You will need to check the packaging for how much liquid you should add and it's also possible that the cooking instructions differ too.

As an average, I'd say that about 20g (approx 2 scant tbsp) of agar agar will set 600ml of water, but this is based on the agar agar I've used personally. Either way, "agar powder" requires a lot more than kanten, which is why you need to be careful not to substitute one for the other!

Red Bean Paste (Anko)

There are two main types of red bean paste, made with the same ingredients but different characteristics.

• Tsubuan (粒あん) A thick and chunky red bean paste, often used for sweets such as "dorayaki" (Japanese red bean pancake) or "ohagi" (rice wrapped with red bean paste).
• Koshian (こしあん) A smooth and refined red bean paste, often used for mochi recipes or yokan.

Although technically you can make yokan using tsubuan, one of the most important characteristics for mizu yokan is it's smooth, melt in the mouth texture so I highly recommend using koshian for this recipe!

Shiroan

Shiroan (白あん) is similar to koshian in texture, smooth and refined. The main difference is it's made with white kidney beans and has a milder taste to red beans. It's basically a "white bean paste".

Using shiroan is common if you want to add a different flavour to your yokan. Matcha flavoured yokan is made with shiroan.

Equipment

All you'll need to make mizu yokan is a saucepan and a mold. Let me tell you a little about Japanese style mold called "nagashikan" and alternatives for if you don't own one.

Nagashikan

In Japan, there is a square or rectangular tin called "nagashikan" (流し缶) which is especially for making kanten jelly and yokan. It has a removable base and little tabs at the top to help you pull your dessert out smoothly.

You can purchase them here on Amazon (affiliate link) but if you don't plan to use it often, it's not essential.

Alternatives to using nagashikan

If you want to try and replicate the nagashikan, you can try using a small brownie pan, a small loaf tin, a square cake tin or even a heat proof Tupperware. The mixture is usually still quite hot when I transfer it to the mold so make sure heatproof container that doesn't melt when it gets hot.

Small batch / using molds

Sometimes I like make a small batch of mizu yokan. When I do this, I find it's better to use molds or serving cups because it's not enough to fill the nagashikan.

To make dome shaped mizu yokan, I use one half of round ice cube mold. You can also use jelly molds, a takoyaki pan or even just pour the mixture straight into serving cups.

Wagashi

"Wagashi" is the term for traditional Japanese style sweets. They are very different in taste and texture to Western desserts, they're also fun and interesting to make. Why not try out some of my other wagashi recipes and impress your friends and family with a unique Japanese sweet treat!

• Mitarashi Dango (sweet rice dumplings with sweet soy sauce)
• Dorayaki (red bean pancakes)
• Ichigo Daifuku (strawberry mochi)
• Hanami Dango (sweet tri-color rice dumplings on a skewer)

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