Youkan (羊羹) / Japanese Red Bean Jelly

ようかん

羊羹 - traditional Japanese dessert made with red bean and chestnut. I have learned about the interesting history of this traditional Japanese dessert today. If you can read Chinese, you probably know that 羊羹 (read as yang geng) means lamb soup. How come this "羊羹" is a dessert and has no lamb in it? I do not know why and when this 360 degree transformation took place. According to my Longman electronic dictionary, 羊羹 is one type of the savoury jellies originated from China which was made with lamb soup.

My red bean jelly is not 100% Japanese version though, I made it with 2 layers and added coconut milk to one layer. Yeap... coconut milk - one of the popular ingredients in Malaysian desserts, maybe I should call it Jap-sia dessert. When I asked T if he wants some red bean jelly, he said no. But... when he saw it "Is that you kann (羊羹)? Can I have some?" ... ^_^!!

Comments

  1. Cantiknyaaaa gambar....macam sedapp je jelly tu....jelessss pakcik tgk style gambar tu....whaaa!!!! jelessssss nyaaaa!!!!

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  2. Hi Lydia, I've been visiting your blog frequently. Love to see the things you bake and cook. =)

    Btw, this red bean jelly looks really yummy! I'm a big fan of red bean. Could you share the recipe with me pls?

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  3. Mat: thks ya! jgn lah jeles, pacik pun boleh make-upkan... posekan makanan pacik, buat dia lebih sexy. hehehe
    dan... sabar... xmas dah dekat.

    jacelyn: Thanks for visiting again... :d

    I cooked this jelly "by-eyes" so dont have the actual measurement.

    Red beans + water, cooked till mushy then add in chestnuts (ready to eat type) and brown sugar to taste.
    Check how much of red bean soup you cooked to measure the amount of agar2. Dissolve agar2 powder in warm water before adding into the red bean soup.
    Simmer 2-3 minutes or until agar2 is melted. With cover on (to prevent thin "film" forming on the surface), let it cool down for 10-15 minutes. Stir well and transfer agar2 to remakins or mould. Cool completely n keep in fridge before serving.

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  4. OMG, I got some of these from a friend and until now I haven't tried them thinking that they are some base for a lamb soup...too funny. Thanks for posting this.

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  5. Rasa Malaysia:
    I also thought that it was something for soup when I first saw the package. Some of them packed in ramekins, and some packed in little pastic bag like little pieces of cheese.
    Hope it is not too sweet for you... have you tried yours?

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