Sakura an (sweet bean paste with cherry blossom) - 250 grams

Description

This sakura an is inspired by the well-known anko (sweet bean paste made from red azuki beans). This variety is also a paste made from white beans and cherry blossom leaf. You can use this similar to the ”regular” sweet bean paste.

The paste is deliciously sweet (but not too!) with a silky texture and extra special because of the addition of cherry blossom. Of course it is perfect for use in Japanese sweets such as mochi, but you can also use it to give other desserts a unique Japanese touch. You can also mix the paste through all kinds of dough; the flavor and fragrance are retained even after baking.

An/anko: sweet red bean paste

One of the main (basic) ingredients of Japanese sweets (wagashi) in Japan is sweet red bean paste: anko or an. This pasta is usually made from red azuki/adzuki beans, sugar and a small amount of salt. Azuki beans are also among the most commonly used legumes in Japanese cuisine.

For the sweet red bean paste, the beans are cooked and then processed in various ways:

1. Tsubuan: the beans remain whole or are partially ground.

2. Koshian: the beans are completely pureed (and sifted from the husks) into a smooth paste.

Application

Red bean paste in Japan is often bought ready-made in stores (as is our paste) but is also made at home from whole azuki beans, especially for special occasions, such as:

• Sakura mochi: pink-colored balls of sticky rice (with sugar, half crushed) filled with red bean paste and coated with edible pickled cherry leaves (sakura).
• Ohagi: balls of sticky rice covered with sweet red bean paste. Traditionally made during the autumn equinox. 

With our red bean paste, you can make many other Japanese delicacies, such as:

• Mizu-yōkan: red bean jelly.
• Taiyaki: sweet wafers in the shape of a fish filled with the red bean paste.
• Dorayaki: two small, thick round pancakes with the red bean paste in between.
• Daifuku: mochi (sticky rice “cakes”), filled with the red bean paste and possibly fruit such as strawberry.
• About shaved ice or matcha ice cream.
• Retrieved from toast.
• In a matcha latte or bubble tea (usually with pieces).
• And much more!

Producer 

Yamashin Sangyo has been developing sweet ingredients that bring to life the Japanese sense of seasons for more than 25 years. The company was one of the pioneers in the use of cherry blossom and sakura leaves in food and introduced innovative products based on this traditional ingredient in the 1990s.

Through great attention to provenance, quality and taste, they create ingredients that are not only special in aroma and appearance, but also practical in use. With their focus on seasonal flowers, leaves and locally grown fruits, Yamashin Sangyo aims to allow people worldwide to enjoy sweets that appeal to both body and mind, while helping to preserve Japanese food culture and sakura traditions.