Mizu Yokan

Mizu yokan (水洋館) is a chilled traditional Japanese dessert (wagashi) and is made with red bean paste, agar agar, and sugar. I made this for the holiday Tanabata (七夕) which is every year on July 7th. It’s also known as the Star Festival has a romantic story background as well. Mizu yokan is typically made with more red bean paste, but I made a modified version to showcase more of the agar and the colors.

Agar agar is pretty tasteless on its own, and is resembles a clear jelly. It gets most of its flavor from what you eat with it, like kinako sugar or a black sugar syrup known as kuromitsu. It’s a great vegan substitute for gelatin, and great for creating beautiful colors because it’s a colorless substance. Chilled mizu yokan makes for a refreshing summer treat!

Print Recipe

Galaxy Mizu Yokan

To create a gradient effect, you have to work in layers. Ideally works in a 6” x 6” pan. Adjust measurements as needed depending on the size of your pan

Ingredients

Red bean/agar base

• 1 g agar agar
• 70 ml water
• 80 g red bean paste

Agar Jelly

• 2 cups water 500ml
• 1 stick powdered sugar 8g
• 2 tbsp sugar add more if desired
• Food coloring royal blue, purple, white

Instructions

Red bean/agar base

• In a small saucepan, whisk agar agar and water and bring to a boil
• Once boiling, lower the heat and let the agar agar dissolve completely
• Add red bean paste to the mixture and stir until dissolved
• Remove from heat to cool after 2-3 minutes
• Pour mixture onto bottom of the pan until it is covered, and chill until mixture is solidified

Agar Jelly

• In a small saucepan, whisk agar agar and water and bring to a boil
• Once boiling, lower the heat and let the agar agar dissolve completely
• Add sugar and a few drops of light food coloring and cook on low heat for 2 minutes
• Remove a fourth of the mixture and pour over the pan on top of the chilled red bean and allow to cool in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes
• In the meantime, add a slightly darker color to the mixture and continue whisking over low heat so the mixture doesn’t solidify. After 10 minutes, repeat and remove the same amount of liquid to pour over the mixture. Continue doing this until you run out of liquid or height on the pan
• On the last layer, before the agar sets, sprinkle edible gold dust or add a few drops of white food coloring and drag gently with a chopstick or toothpick to create a galaxy effect
• Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes or until it is ready to be consumed

Notes

Recipe by Usagi Baking. All images and content belong to me unless otherwise specified. Please do not use my images without permission. If you would like to share my recipe, please credit me and link back to my site.