Japanese Agar Jelly - Kingyoku - 【sweets tales】

Sweets Tales Today's story is of kingyoku, a summer treat as refreshing as it looks. Nakameguro, Tokyo, a town running along a river. In a residential area just off the main road is a small wagashi shop, Miyabian. Owner Norimasa Minagawa opened Miyabian 9 years ago, a long-time ambition of his. "In a way, it's a place for me to express myself. I saw it as a way see how my wagashi would be received." Here he is preparing a traditional wagashi known as 'kingyoku', or agar jelly. Before refrigeration, kingyoku, which hardens at room temperature, was prized as a refreshing sweet. It is made solely from kanten and sugar. Simply boil agar until it melts, then add sugar to sweeten the resulting liquid. Set it out to cool, and let the agar do the rest. Minagawa uses a branding iron to symbolize the flow of water. This simple expression of nature is distinctive of wagashi. Young people today probably haven't even heard of Kingyoku... It's become so unpopular that you could even call it a lost tradition. Kingyoku is said to have a plain sweetness, and lost popularity to other sweets over time. Wagashi artisans therefore turned to decoration to give kingyoku a unique personality. Minagawa uses a custom-made wood mould to craft his newest summer product. A small goldfish made from sweetened bean paste (nerikiri). I remember getting scolded for catching goldfish, but it was so much fun bringing them home ― that's the inspiration for this piece. Now kingyoku is a reflection of the craftsman artistic skill; a transparent canvas for his work. Bravo! So lifelike that even the goldfish are startled.