Lot’s of food in this episode! This time they’re bringing back the traditional Japanese snacks, and we finally see green tea. I love their attention to detail. You can see the different types of senbei in the tray and the use of the bamboo stick for the youkan. I wonder who the foodie is in the studio? The blog doesn’t mention anyone with a food interest. Hmm…

Mizu Yōkan (羊羹). (Sometimes spelled Youkan or Yokan.) Based upon color, most likely Azuki (sweet red bean). Served with green tea.

Youkan is a popular Summer sweet. Motiya has some nice images. Youkan is very simple to make and the variations are almost endless. It’s basically a reduced solution of flavor, agar, sugar, and water. My favorite is chestnut, but I’ve tried melon, strawberry, taro, sesame, green tea, and milk. If you run a search for the kanji in CookPad, you come up with 186 recipes! There are savory versions as well, but I’m not sure if they’re still called youkan. I’m used to calling them aspic at that point.

Castella (カステラ) is a popular Japanese sponge cake and a speciality of Nagasaki. You see these all over Japan and in most Japanese markets around the world. There’s even a dedicated website to the beloved sponge cake. (Warning, turn down the volume on your speakers before clicking on the link.) But it’s worth checking out their video of the castella making process. It’s impressive! Here’s a recipe (E), recipe (J), and even a recipe for Takoyaki-shaped castella. Actually the takoyaki pan is a great idea for getting that signiture brown exterior. Sometimes bakers will brand their mark on the top of the cakes.

A fancy Japanese Custard Pudding (Purin). Unlike European puddings, or the Spanish flan, which use egg as their binding agent, the Japanese purin sometimes uses gelatin which gives the final product a jiggly Jello-like consistency. The Japanese are a little obssessive about their purins though. I’ve seen purin candy, snacks, flavored gum, keychains, pillows, and more. Here’s a recipe (E) and a another recipe (J). If your using CookPad, search for:  カスタードプディング

Takara Tomy sell a kit that lets you make giant purins! They call it Giga Pudding. I’ll spare you the video here, but you can watch it at your leisure on their website. It makes a pudding enough for 20 servings. Kinda looks like a child’s sand bucket.

Here’s a strange science demonstration with pudding.

Strawberry Shortcake. Here’s a recipe (E) and a recipe (J) (for a translation.). Japanese-style shortcakes are built on a foundation of sponge cake rather than biscuit layers, giving them a lighter texture. And although strawberries are enjoyed anytime, Winter is the strawberry season for Japan and so you’ll often see strawberry cakes for the year end holidays. Pampered strawberries can easily fetch over $3 US each.

Green Tea and senbei (煎餅,せんべい) (rice crackers).

From right to left, it looks like there’s nori-senbei, miso-senbei, salad senbei, and soy-nut senbei. Here’s a Japanese recipe.

Small sandwiches. Ham and butter, and ham and lettuce maybe?

Ritsu is roasting omochi! Yakimochi.

You can either make mochi from glutinous rice or you can purchase pre-made rice cakes to grill. But here’s what’s interesting: Recently, some pre-made mochi come scored along the edges to help the rice cake burst upwards and not to the side. However, they’re not reliable. The best approach is to place a single drop of soy sauce on the middle of the top surface of the mochi. It creates a weakened surface that the mochi can’t resist breaking through. After your yakimochi is nicely grilled with a crispy exterior and a chewy soft interior, wrap it in seasoned, dry nori and enjoy!

Update: For those who are curious, if you set out mochi to dry, it starts looking parched and cracked. The Japanese often take those and break them into smaller chunks with a mallet and then quickly deep fry them. That dried mochi becomes the puffed, fried rice crackers found in the senbei aisle. Sprinkle with salt and enjoy!

Here’s an entertaining video on mochi pounding:

This is from the preview of Episode #4. It looks like tea and cupcakes.