Hina arare

Hina arare is a traditional sweet for Japanese Girl's day (March 3rd).
On that day, families who have girl set dolls in their house and prepare special food to celebrate in hope of growth of girl in healthy.

Hina arare is popped rice coated with sugar.
Those colours, pink, white, and green are compared to peach blossom, remaining snow, and young grass ( fresh leaf) each.

Yomogi Mochi

Yomogi mochi is a traditional Japanese sweet which is also called "Kusa Mochi".

It is a mochi (glutinous rice cake) flavored with Japanese mugwort.

Usually it is stuffed with sweet red bean paste.

Yomogi is a Japanese herb.

It has a nice fresh fragrance.

Sakura mochi (Domyoji mochi)

I have already introduced you Tokyo style sakura mochi.
In this time, I introduce you kansai-area style sakura mochi.
It is called "Domyoji mochi.

Sweet red bean paste is covered with dough which is made from domyoji flour, sugar, food red and water, and wrapped with sakura (cherry blossom) leaf which is pickled in salt.
Domyoji flour is made by steaming mochi rice, later dried, and ground coarsely.

Sakura mochi (Chomeiji mochi)

This is a Tokyo style sakura mochi.
Sakura means cherry blossom.
Sakura mochi is a Japanese traditional sweet.
It is pink dough and sweet red bean paste wrapped with sakura leaf.
We have two style of sakura mochi.
One is Tokyo style, and another is kansai area style.

In this time, I introduce you Tokyo style sakuramochi.
It is also called chomeiji mochi.
Sweet red bean paste is wrapped with fried dough and wrapped again with sakura leaf.
The dough is made from mochi rice flour, wheat flour, sugar, food red, and water.
The sakura leaf is pickled in salt, it has nice fragrance.

Mame Daifuku

Daifuku is a traditional Japanese sweet which is also called "Daifuku Mochi".
Daifuku is a mochi (glutinous rice cake) stuffed with sweet red bean paste.
It has rounded shape and usually slightly coated with potato starch.

Mame daifuku is a one of variety of daifuku.
It is a daifuku which mix beans with mochi.

Yokan

Yokan is a traditional Japanese sweet.
It is a sweet jellied red beans paste.
Usually it is made of red beans, agar-agar, and sugar.
Usually it is sold in block form, so we slice it and serve.
I like have it with green tea,

Ohagi (Botamochi)

Ohagi is sweet rice ball.
Traditionaly we eat Ohagi in autumnal equinoctial week.

Ohagi is made by cooking rice and glutinous rice (Mochi gome).
Cooked rice is mashed, formed into ball, and covered with sweet red bean paste.
But some time rice ball is covered with such as kinako flour and sesame seeds.


Photo above is Kinako version.


By the way, nowadays "Ohagi" and "Botamochi" are almost same.
We call it "Botamochi" in spring, and we call it "Ohagi" in fall.

Taiyaki

Taiyaki is a fish-shaped Japanese pancake stuffed with sweet red bean paste.
Taiyaki is made using fish-shaped mold.
Main ingredient of batter is wheat flour.

Nowadays, there are some taiyaki filled with custard, chocolate, or other ingredient instead of red bean paste.

By the way, "Tai" means sea bream.
Sea bream is a high quality cooking ingredient for Japanese dishes.
I supose it is why they made sea bream-shaped pancake.

Dorayaki

It is also calld "Mikasa" in Kansai region(western part of Japan).
Dorayaki is a Japanese traditional sweet which An(Azuki bean paste) is put between two pancake which is made from egg, wheat flour, sugar, honey, and so on.

An is also called Anko.
It is an ingredient for many traditional Japanese sweet.
Usually, An is made from Azuki beans(red beans) and sugar.

By the way, it is famous that Dorayaki is the favorite of "Doraemon".

Mitarashi Dango

Dango are small balls which are made by kneading rice flour and water, and steaming or boiling them.

As for Mitarashi Dango.

We usually, fix some dango (three to five) on a bamboo skewer.

Grill it lightly.

And cover it with soy sause and sugar besed sauce.

The sauce is made by mixing soy sauce, mirin(sweet sake), sugar, Kuzuko or potato starch, and water, and so on, and simmering them.