How To Make Matcha & Sakura Japanese Yokan

Looking for some cool sweets under hot weather? In summer time Japan, many refreshing sweets cooled in the refrigerator such as jelly and yokan are sold at Japanese sweets shops and department stores.

This time, we will introduce Japanese sweets made with matcha and salted cherry blossom petals that you can easily make at home.

Matcha & Sakura Yokan Ingredients

Matcha Yokan

• Shiroan (white bean paste): 200g
• Matcha powder: 3g
• Water: 200 ml

(A)

• Sugar: 2 tablespoons
• Kanten (powder agar): 3g

Sakura jelly

• Water: 200 ml
• Agar: 15g
• Fine white sugar: 2 tablespoons

• Salted sakura petal: 6 pieces
• Water (for desalting): Appropriate amount
• Cold water (for cooling): Appropriate amount

How To Make Matcha & Sakura Yokan

1. To make matcha yokan, first put shiroan and matcha powder in a bowl and mix with a rubber spatula.
   
2. Put water and (A) in a pot and bring to a boil while mixing over medium heat. When it boils, cook on low heat and simmer for about 2 minutes.
3. Add mixture from step (1) until the ingredients are well-mixed. Then increase to medium heat again and simmer for about 5 minutes while mixing. After that, pour it into a mold, let it cool down outside, and cool it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
4. Make Sakura jelly. Put the salted cherry blossoms in a vat, add water and leave for 10 minutes to remove the salt.
5. Put water, agar and sugar in a pot and mix. Then add water and mix over medium heat to bring to a boil. After that, keeping it boiling for 1 minute, remove it from the stove and soak the pot in cool water to let it cool down a bit.
6. Make a pattern on the surface of yokan done in step (3) with a toothpick, add (4) and (5) and cool in the refrigerator for about 60 minutes until it hardens.
7. Cut it to the size you like and serve it on a plate.