Agar Jelly with Anko and Fruit (あんみつ, Anmitsu)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Nagashikan (rectangular kanten mold), or a shallow 8-inch pan
• •Small saucepan
• •Small nonstick saucepan and silicone spatula for gyūhi
• •Chilled glass dessert bowls or small celadon bowls
• •Small spouted pitcher for kuromitsu

Instructions

1. 1

   Make Kuromitsu

   Combine the kokutō, water, and salt in a small saucepan. Warm gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until glossy and lightly syrupy. It should coat a spoon thinly, not heavily. Kuromitsu thickens as it cools, so stop before it looks finished in the pot. Strain if the sugar leaves grit, then cool completely.

2. 2

   Set Kanten

   Whisk the kanten powder and sugar into the cold water in a saucepan. Bring it to a real boil over medium heat, stirring from the bottom, then keep it at a gentle boil for 2 minutes until the liquid looks clear. Pour it into a wet nagashikan, the rectangular kanten mold, or a shallow 8-inch pan. Let it set at room temperature for 20 minutes, then chill for at least 1 hour.

   Kanten must boil to dissolve. Warm water won't do it, and undissolved grains give you a cloudy, sandy jelly instead of clean cubes.
3. 3

   Cook Gyūhi

   Put the shiratamako in a small bowl and rub in half the water with your fingers until the lumps soften into a smooth milk. Stir in the sugar and the remaining water, then scrape the mixture into a small nonstick saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the paste turns translucent, glossy, and elastic, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn it onto a tray dusted thickly with katakuriko, dust the top, pat it into a thin square, and let it cool before cutting small diamonds.

   The sugar isn't there only for sweetness. It helps the gyūhi stay soft after chilling, which is why this mochi belongs in a cold bowl.
4. 4

   Prepare Fruit

   Cut the fruit into small, clean pieces and chill them. If using canned mikan or white peach, drain and pat them dry. Good canned fruit has its place at the Japanese sweet counter, but watery fruit will thin the syrup and cloud the kanten. Use what is fresh and good today, with nothing hidden.

5. 5

   Cut Kanten

   Run a knife around the edge of the set kanten and turn it onto a board. Cut it into 3/4-inch cubes with a wet knife. The cubes should be large enough to show their clear edges and small enough to fit easily on a spoon. Ragged pieces still taste fine, but clean cuts make the bowl read calm.

6. 6

   Assemble Bowls

   Divide the kanten among four chilled bowls, leaving some open space. Set a rounded spoonful of anko slightly off-center in each bowl. Arrange the fruit in three small groups, add a few gyūhi diamonds, and scatter the red peas if using. Serve the kuromitsu in a small pitcher and pour it at the table, 1 to 2 tablespoons per bowl to start.

   Pouring at the table keeps the kanten bright and the fruit distinct. The syrup is seasoning, not a curtain.

Chef Tips

• •Use Japanese powdered kanten if you can find it. Agar from a baking aisle can work, but read the package strength carefully. Gelatin gives a soft wobble and melts too readily; it changes the dish.
• •Choose fruit by shun, not by habit. In early summer, melon, cherries, and peach are lovely. In colder months, good canned mikan or white peach is honest in the kissaten style, while tired fresh fruit is not.
• •Buy anko from a Japanese market with steady turnover, or make your own tsubuan. It should taste of azuki beans first and sugar second, and it should mound neatly instead of slumping through the jelly.
• •Go lightly with kuromitsu at first. You can add more, but once the bowl is drowned, the clear, dark, red, yellow, green, and white have all become brown. Leave it room.

Advance Preparation

• •Kuromitsu keeps for 2 weeks in the refrigerator. If it thickens too much, loosen it with a spoonful of warm water and cool it again.
• •The kanten block can be made 2 days ahead, covered, and chilled. Cut it the day you serve so the edges stay clean.
• •Gyūhi is best the day it is made. Keep it well dusted with katakuriko and wrapped at room temperature for a few hours, or chill briefly if the kitchen is hot.
• •Assemble anmitsu shortly before serving. Fruit juice and syrup will cloud the kanten if the bowls sit too long.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 500g)