Weird Dessert is Good Dessert

'What is your favorite dessert?'

If you want to start a great conversation, just ask someone. This is true everywhere, and East Asia is no exception. 

You might recall a beloved Taiwan dessert featured in my Nov. 3rd blog: tofu pudding, or douhua 豆花. You can enjoy douhua hot on a cold rainy evening, or icy cold and refreshing on a hot tropical afternoon.

This is silken textured with a gentle sweet flavor of cane sugar. Peanuts, sweet red beans, and black tapioca pearls are common accompaniments.  

Some Japanese desserts continue to be enjoyed both in Taiwan and Japan. One of these is Imagawayaki (今川焼き). This popular treat wraps sweetened white or red bean paste in a crispy pancake covering and is super addictive. 

I grab a few of these every week from my local Gozasoro shop at the Yamada Monorail shopping center. It's fun to watch them being made...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLF5hWK3IfY&vl=ja

The covering is crispy, and the filling has a down-home flavor that is sometimes nutty, sometimes like butterscotch.

Daifuku mochi (大福餅) 

Next up: Mochi. Where to begin? They are in every restaurant, train station, and 7-11. They can morph into almost any shape, color, flavor, or filling. 

Daifuku mochi are filled with the red bean paste I keep referring to...right now, strawberries are in season (yes, in winter!?) For Christmas, the vendors are offering mochi with different fillings, each cut open like a little Pac-man, and stuffed with a fresh strawberry.  

The pink one had a sweet red bean paste filling, the white one had sweet custard, and the brown one had chocolate custard. These were so fine they melted before I could really chew them. 

Wagashi (和菓子) 

These are a special member of the mochi family: exquisitely crafted and often adorable tiny treats intended for enjoyment with tea ceremony. 

How adorable, you ask? Simply do a search for 'wagashi' and click Images, and you'll see what I mean!

Turnip (蕪 Kabano)Wagashi mochi: so cute I almost didn't want to eat it. Almost.

I nibbled my turnip wagashi with a most welcome cup of hot matcha in late autumn...

Unlike Western desserts, most traditional Asian desserts are devoid of animal products like milk, eggs, or butter. This might mean they are healthier ... I dunno ... I mean, who cares?? 

But, to try and answer the question at the beginning of this blog: I can't pick my fave!! They are all good in their own ways. And the good news is, there are LOTS more to discover.