🍡 Yokan (red bean jelly)
Yokan is a Japanese confection made from sweet red bean paste set with agar into a firm, smooth block. It is sliced into thin rectangles and has a dense, slightly chewy texture and a deep, sweet bean flavour. Yokan is traditionally served in small pieces with green tea, and keeps well, which makes it a popular gift.
Diets
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens in a typical recipe.
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 g agar powder
- 400 ml water
- 250 g smooth sweet red bean paste
- 100 g sugar
- A pinch of salt
Method
- Dissolve the agar in the water, bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring.
- Add the sugar and stir until dissolved, then add the bean paste and salt.
- Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes until thick and glossy.
- Pour into a rectangular mould, smooth the top and leave to set at room temperature, then chill.
- Turn out and slice into thin pieces.
How to make it lighter
- Cut thin slices of about 25 g and enjoy one with tea.
- Reduce the sugar by a quarter; the bean flavour still comes through.
- Treat yokan as the whole dessert rather than an extra after a large meal.
History
Yokan is usually traced to China, where the name originally referred to a mutton broth; Buddhist monks are credited with bringing a meatless version made with beans to Japan. Over the centuries it became a sweet, and the agar-set neri-yokan known today became widespread in the Edo period.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →