Kanten Jelly With Kinako (Roasted Soy Flour) and Maple Syrup

Hello,

Time really flies!  It's the end of the year now, and there are only a couple of weeks left for 2010!

I was happy that I could get the opportunity to be able to teach some cooking classes this year.

I still need to learn and improve more and I'd love to continue to challenge next year too.

Lately, my favorite OYATSU (おやつ) is Kanten jelly with KINAKO powder and maple syrup or honey.

Kanten is made without any sweetness or flavor just as it is, and I sprinkled KINAKO powder and drizzled maple syrup from the top, that's it. And it's made in 30 min.(easy!)

KINAKO (黄粉) is a Japanese soy flour. It is very yellowish flour, but it gets brownish color once it gets wet. I have once bought soy flour in the market, I meant to buy KINAKO, but that was totally different. KINAKO is flour of roasted Japanese soy beans.

You should try once, the smell is SO different, it has very roastie flavor.

KINAKO also have a great nutrient, Fiber.

By the way, I used GOLDMINE brand Kanten flakes a few times in the past, including the dish in the photos above. Their directions says to use, 1 tbsp. of Kanten flakes with 1 cup (240cc) of water, but 300cc is OK for me, because it takes about 5 min. or so to melt all the flakes in simmering water. Still, the flakes don't melt completely, but it molds nicely and properly. There are some flakes left in the bottom of jello, which looks like little patterns (can you see the milky color spot from the image?) and gives a little texture :)

I have no idea how many people have read my blog this year, but Thank You So Much for reading, and I hope you have a happy and delicious holiday season!