It has been a hectic time for the Ro-Ri family with way too many things going on and too little time to take it all in. Machines around the household have not been helpful either. Seems like things conspire to break down all at the same time. First it was the dish washer, then the computer started to give problems and it still does, followed by the washing machine. Good thing the basement was not flooded. The boys are busy with their school work and activities. When they are busy, you know mom is also busy. The social calendar has been taking up weekends and while the company is good, there is precious little time for anything else. On top of that we have the chore of gathering all those leaves in the yard…arghhh! Snow showers are expected this Wednesday!
I am pretty handicapped at the moment with the computer hobbling along. I am having to reboot every hour or so and that is getting me totally frustrated. Sorry for not visiting your blogs as regularly as I would like to. As a last ditch effort to avert having to get a new computer, I am planning to reformat the hard disk soon. I am also having problems getting my feed to update your blogrolls. Kindly update your links by changing the URL to www.rotinrice.com instead of the old blogger URL. many thanks for bearing with me.
After a very busy Saturday, I decided to take a break from all that running around. I am so glad to have received this surprise gift from Ann of Anncoo Journal. It was really sweet of Ann to send me these lovely agar-agar molds and agar-agar powder sachets. Making something simple and fun like agar-agar was just the thing I needed. It has been a while since I last made yōkan and these are reminiscent of the ones I had in Komagane, Japan not too long ago. You can see a picture of it here.
The agar-agar powder is really convenient and easy to use. It dissolves easily in the water with almost no residue and it also sets quickly in the fridge. To save time, I used all pre-packaged ingredients that can be easily purchased at any Asian grocery store.
Do give this Yōkan with Ginkgo and Chestnuts a try. It is lovely served as a light dessert or tea time treat.
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:422]
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 🙂
denise @ quickies on the dinner table says
October 25, 2010 at 8:15 amYIKES!!! It really pours when it rains 😛 So sorry to hear about your woes – I do not envy your PC problems. Hubby has recently resurrected my crashed laptop but I think it will never be the same again and keeps shutting down while I am in mid-task, after barely two hours use when it heats up *sigh* I really can appreciate your difficulties 🙁 Hope you get everything sorted out soon and thank you for visiting my blog inspite of your difficulties 🙂
These jellies are beautiful!!! I love the muted, almost autumnal colours and that pink square dish is the perfect ‘vehicle’ for them. I honestly do not think I have seen a more gorgeous piece of Japanese tableware *sigh*
Biren says
October 27, 2010 at 1:58 pmToo many things popping up lately. The PC is a big blow as it is only one and a half years old. Waiting for the recovery disks to come in the mail. May have to get a new one. Don’t know if I’ll be able to do any posts in the mean time 🙁
Thanks! Making these jellies is a good diversion. I have a matching teapot that sits perfectly on this dish.
Haruna says
October 25, 2010 at 10:56 amLovely……as a kid I used to imagine yokan as “water that you can bite”. These concoctions certainly live up to good tasting “water”. 😀
Cristina @ TeenieCakes says
October 25, 2010 at 12:45 pmThese are little works of art! How interesting and beautiful. This is the second time this week reading about Ginkgo nuts…I’ve never seen them in the markets before. I’m intrigued and must try them!
Biren says
October 27, 2010 at 1:53 pmThanks Cristina! Ginkgo nuts have a slightly sweet but mild flavor. It lends itself well not only in desserts but also savory dishes. The peeled ones are easily found at the Asian grocery stores.
Thanks for the retweet 🙂
lequan says
October 25, 2010 at 4:09 pmoh no, Biren! i hope you get all those machine problems fixed soon! i know what an inconvenient it can be when everything all dies on you at once, especially with kids. that happened to us last year (3 things broke down all at the same time) and boy did i have a headache.
eeeek! chestnuts are so addicting for me. i can seriously go through 5 bags of those chestnuts before i start getting sick of them. i love that you made such a fun recipe with these chestnuts and i love that you decided to keep the agar agar clear. it totally adds a cool icy effect and makes it so much more fun to see the ingredients inside. what a great way to say thank you for the gift. great post Biren!
Biren says
October 27, 2010 at 2:03 pmTechnology is great when it works but it can give a real bad headache when they fail. I may have to get a new computer and the frustrating thing is that this one is not old at all!
Yes, those roasted chestnuts are addicting. It is my treat to myself when I go to the Asian grocery store. These agar-agar turned out really well. It was sweet of Ann to send the molds to me.
lequan says
October 25, 2010 at 4:09 pmPS
i will update your link on my blogroll now. thank you for the reminder.
Biren says
October 27, 2010 at 1:59 pmThanks LeQuan for updating your link to me 🙂
Faith says
October 25, 2010 at 4:43 pmSorry to hear about your troubles, hopefully everything is straightened out soon! This is such a beautiful treat, and how sweet of Ancoo to send you a surprise package!
Magic of Spice says
October 25, 2010 at 8:51 pmI am so sorry about you electronics issues, I am sure it must be so annoying…But the fantastic teats you have put together from Ann’s lovely gift must have cheered you up 🙂 I am sure it will be well soon 🙂
Anncoo says
October 25, 2010 at 8:59 pmWOW Biren! This is very beautiful never thought of adding chestnuts and ginko into agar agar before. I bet its must be very yummy 🙂
Recently I’ve tried chestnut Mont Blanc from the Japanese bakery store, it was really nice and I thought of trying make one.
Biren says
October 27, 2010 at 2:06 pmThanks Ann for the lovely molds. They are really easy to work with. I am already thinking of making something else with them. Chestnuts and ginkgo nuts are some of my favorite ingredients and I am really pleased at how these turned out.
tigerfish says
October 25, 2010 at 10:37 pmWhat pretty and tasty agar-agar 🙂
Hope everything will be in order soon.
Roxan says
October 25, 2010 at 11:06 pmBiren those are so pretty! They look like little decorations. So sweet of your friend to send you a gift in the mail. I love getting mail!! Especially surprises 🙂
Angie's Recipes says
October 26, 2010 at 3:00 amThey look so very pretty!! I like the combination of ginkgo and chestnuts.
Sanjeeta kk says
October 26, 2010 at 3:56 amHave not seen ginkgo nuts. But the dessert looks excellent, lovely piece of creation.
penny aka jeroxie says
October 26, 2010 at 5:59 amSo beautiful! I am not a fan of computer problems too.
Julie M. says
October 26, 2010 at 6:01 amSo sorry to hear things are breaking down. And you are so right, when it rains it pours. I hope you can get it all fixed up quick; especially the computer!
This agar agar looks like such a simple tasty treat! Those molds are just beautiful. Enjoy your snow showers if they decide to make a show. The first snow is always so exciting!
kristy says
October 26, 2010 at 7:48 amJust a few days back, someone told me that she can’t live without a computer. She even carrys a 3G 24 hours. Haha… I think soon I’ll be same too! I just got my computer fix a couple of months back. Changed the harddisk! Btw, those jellies look great and very cooling. Yummm…. Have a great day!
Kristy
5 Star Foodie says
October 26, 2010 at 8:31 amSo sorry about all the computer problems 🙁 hope it all gets fixed! These are beautiful treats, such cool molds!
Pachecopatty says
October 26, 2010 at 8:47 amTechnology is great when it works! Your molded treats are little works of art and all displayed on such beautiful dishes. The photographs are excellent, thanks for sharing Biren , in spite of all the difficulties:)
Suchitra says
October 26, 2010 at 9:08 amBeautiful presentation- love it!
pigpigscorner says
October 26, 2010 at 11:27 amSo pretty! Hope everything will turn out fine soon.
torviewtoronto says
October 26, 2010 at 1:02 pmlooks delicious lovely presentation
The Mom Chef ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time says
October 26, 2010 at 2:59 pmWow, Biren. Those are incredible. I’ve never seen anything like that. When I first saw it, I honestly thought it looked a bit like a jellyfish that had eaten something, but as I scrolled down, the beauty of each piece really hit me, kind of like the gracefulness of that aforementioned jellyfish. Beautiful.
Stella says
October 26, 2010 at 5:37 pmHey Biren! First of all, your photos are super nice here! Second, that was sweet of Ann-true dat. Thirdly, I want to eat this. It looks really good. Plus, I’ve been wanting to taste chestnuts. I don’t think I ever have…?!
Jeannie says
October 26, 2010 at 7:49 pmI know how you feel about everything going wrong at the same time…happened to me often enough! The jelly looks very refreshing and gorgeous!
Sommer@ASP says
October 26, 2010 at 8:58 pmWow Biren~ really cool! This is a truly unique dish!
Sonia Nasi Lemak Lover says
October 26, 2010 at 9:20 pmnice dessert and pretty.
Blackswan says
October 26, 2010 at 9:34 pmI’m sorry for u, Biren. It know how frustrating it can be especially we’re living in a world where we can’t do w/o gadgets. LOL!
Nice shots! Jelly certainly looks delicious 🙂
Juliana says
October 26, 2010 at 10:19 pmBiren, sorry for the problems, hope that they are all resolved by now. These little treats look gorgeous…I love desserts made with agar-agar 🙂
Lisa says
October 26, 2010 at 11:27 pmI love yokan and yours look beautiful.
Joanne says
October 27, 2010 at 6:29 amI’m sorry to hear about all of the trials you’ve had to endure! At least you had something delicious to dig into in the wake of all this mayhem. These look so tasty. I lvoe the red bean filling.
rebecca says
October 27, 2010 at 8:23 amso sorry about all your stress and wow snow you poor thing, these look amazing and the gift from Ann came just at the right time 🙂
Biren says
October 27, 2010 at 1:31 pmYes, it is a little stressful right now. My PC is totally out . I am waiting for the recovery disks in the mail. It it doesn’t work, I’ll have to get a new PC.
Thanks for the retweet 🙂
Monet says
October 27, 2010 at 12:00 pmHi sweet woman. I’m so sorry for all the technology problems. Not fun at all! You continue to have grace under pressure though…which is very admirable. I will update my feed to make sure I’m getting all of your wonderful posts. These look delicious. I wish you could bring me a plate! I will be praying that your stress lessens today!
Cajun Chef Ryan says
October 27, 2010 at 2:00 pmWonderful presentations on all the variety of plates, platters, and serving trays you have available.
kitchen flavours says
October 27, 2010 at 7:14 pmSorry to hear about your computer! Yeah, life is very crazy at times. Yours are definitely a little sweeter with your jellies, a great idea for some stress relief, at least a few moment of total delicious enjoyment! Love your cute little molds and gorgeous sets of cups and plates!
Devaki @ weavethousandflavors says
October 28, 2010 at 9:03 amSo sorry about your PC problems, Biren. These jellies are beautiful, Stunning and beyond words!!!
So simple and yet incredibly flavorful. What a treat & gorgeous Japanese tableware btw.
Ciao, Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
Jessica says
October 28, 2010 at 5:22 pmOkay girl- you got me! I have never seen this nor heard of it but i am now fascinated and must try it. If i can’t be fearless in the kitchen and do this what can I do! Okay, gonna try it out at least for me to eat- might not be up hubby’s alley and i will let you know how it goes!
kristy says
October 28, 2010 at 6:41 pmBiren, I have an award for you. Please feel free to hop over to collect it. Thanks & have a nice day.
Kristy