Yōkan is a popular Japanese dessert made of red bean paste, agar-agar, and sugar. It may also contain chestnuts, persimmons, or figs and the agar-agar may be flavored with green tea. Mizu-yōkan has more water in it and is less firm. It is often chilled and eaten in the summer.
In Japan, beautifully made yōkan is served as a dessert in a kaiseki or a multi course meal. It is also served with a cup of tea as a form of greeting to your stay at a traditional Japanese inn or ryōkan. Yōkan can be purchased wrapped in plastic.
This Yōkan Jelly Dessert was inspired by the yōkan I have tasted in Japan. The top layer is flavored with matcha (green tea powder) while the bottom layer is left clear. Red bean paste is used for the filling.
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These were molded using regular ice cube trays.
The appeal of agar-agar is not limited to Asian cuisine. It can be flavored, colored, and molded to suit many different settings. The thing with agar-agar is to get the ratio of agar-agar to water right. Too little powder (or gelatinous seaweed) will result in a soft agar-agar and too much will produce a very firm agar-agar.
The recipe below was shared by a young, talented and aspiring home chef with an Irish heritage. The agar-agar was molded in her grandma’s four leaf clover mold. It has a nice vanilla flavor and is just the right consistency. A very light and refreshing dessert, simple yet elegant.
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Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎
Angie's Recipes says
March 30, 2010 at 12:53 pmwow I really love jelly desserts! I find the cube ones are the most tempting!
denise @ quickies on the dinner table says
March 30, 2010 at 1:16 pmI have all the ingredients in my cupboard right now, and I know my kids would love this. Your photos are gorgeous, especially the ones of the ice cube shaped yokan. Delightful post!
Sarah Naveen says
March 30, 2010 at 1:47 pmwow!!! Awesome!! beautifull pics too
Anncoo says
March 30, 2010 at 2:09 pmWOW! Biren, these are so beautifully done. Like a piece of art. I still have red bean at home, I'm going to bookmark this ~ thanks!
Silence Sings says
March 30, 2010 at 4:01 pmthats really awesome and something totally new to me…what is this "agar agar"…sorry for my benightedness…
A Homemakers Diary says
March 30, 2010 at 6:35 pmWOW thats superb Biren. new to your page and am loving it….perfect creations and beautiful presentation. awesome.
Cinnamon-Girl says
March 31, 2010 at 12:24 amThese are new to me! The first ones are so perfect – and elegant looking. They both look very refreshing! I'm curious to what they taste like.
Valen says
March 31, 2010 at 12:25 amThats so cool! I've worked with agar before and it took forever for the stuff to dissolve, actually it simmered for 30 minutes and still hadn't dissolved, I grew impatient and used it anyway.
Cristina @TeenieCakes says
March 31, 2010 at 12:26 amBiren: So beautifully presented and colorful. The silicone molds used…were they cupcake sized?
Kathleen says
March 31, 2010 at 1:46 amWow these look really cool. Great photos!!!
tasteofbeirut says
March 31, 2010 at 2:22 amI have tried cooking with agar-agar and have found it challenging; I have also tried different labels, buying it at the Asian markets versus the American ones etc, I am so taken by your creations that I want to keep trying ti get the hang of it!
Biren says
March 31, 2010 at 3:15 amAngie's Recipes – Jelly desserts are so light and wonderful. The ice cube trays really came in handy.
denise@quickies on the dinner table – Thanks Denise! Yes, the kids love it and did not even noticed the matcha 🙂
Sarah Naveen – Thanks!
Anncoo – Thanks for the compliment. It is quite fun to make.
Silence Sings – Agar-agar is like jello except that it is a gelatinous seaweed and is vegan. The dried seaweed is kind of translucent and is very light. It also comes in the form of a powder.
A Homemakers Diary – Thanks for visiting and for the compliments 🙂
Cinnamon-Girl – Agar-agar tastes very similar to jelly with a slightly firmer texture. The matcha (green tea) flavor combines very well with the sweet red bean paste.
Valen – Thanks for visiting! It shouldn't take so long to dissolve unless you've used too much of the agar-agar and the water is saturated. Try using only half oz of agar-agar to 2 cups of water.
Cristina@TeenieCakes – These silicone molds are the petite molds from Trudeau. They are 2 inches in diameter. I think the regular cupcake size is 2 1/2 inch.
Kathleen – Thanks Kathleen!
tasteofbeirut – I bought this from the Asian grodery store. A little goes a long way. Use only half oz for every 2 cups of water.
5 Star Foodie says
March 31, 2010 at 2:11 pmAwesome dessert, looks so pretty! I need to get red bean paste and try it out soon!
Tina says
March 31, 2010 at 2:40 pmIts new to me…Looks so cute and delicious…
Pedhakka says
March 31, 2010 at 3:54 pmWow your clicks are amazing !! First time here !!
luvtoeat says
March 31, 2010 at 4:30 pmoh those look delectable. my kiddies would love them! love your plate! thanks for sharing and stopping by my blog 🙂
MaryMoh says
March 31, 2010 at 4:34 pmWow…all the jellies look very pretty and delicious. My whole family would love these.
Anonymous says
March 31, 2010 at 6:00 pmLooks exactly like the ones in Kyoto sweet shops! Well done!
The Cooking Photographer says
April 1, 2010 at 3:02 amWhat beautiful little things! Almost too pretty to eat. Almost.
You just helped me. I'm going to get some agar agar and start working with it. My doctor recently found I was allergic to beef, and gelatin is out now of course. I needed an alternative.
Thanks a bunch!
Laura
shanthi says
April 1, 2010 at 8:45 amLooks delicious and mouthwatering. Do visit my blog when time permits.http://shanthisthaligai.blogspot.com/
Peggy says
April 1, 2010 at 12:14 pmDefinitely looks great! The shots are so cute!
Biren says
April 1, 2010 at 1:28 pm5 Star Foodie – Thank you. It was really fun to make.
Tina – Thanks!
Pedhakka – Thanks for visiting!
luvtoeat – Thank you and you are most welcomed 🙂
MaryMoh – It's very light and refreshing dessert. Have to make quite a few as they go fast 🙂
Anonymous – Wow….thanks for the compliment!
The Cooking Photographer – Sorry to hear about your allergy but I am glad to be of help. Thanks for visiting.
shanti – Thank you. I will visit soon 🙂
Peggy – Thanks!
Elena says
February 11, 2013 at 2:42 pmWOW! Great photos and recipe.
Biren says
February 11, 2013 at 4:16 pmThanks for the compliments! Please visit again soon. 🙂