![]() ![]() ![]() The syrup tastes similar to the caramel that sits on top of flan, and the kinako-sesame powder gives it a nutty flavor. If you can get a perfect bite with the black syrup and powdered kinako together, then you’ve succeeded. The water bubble alone is similar to the classic Asian grass jelly dessert. Unlike any other agar jelly I’ve tried, the texture of this one is lighter and as close as you can get to a smoother, melt-in-your-mouth jello. To take things up a notch, it’s topped with edible gold flakes. It gets its flavor is from the black, molasses-like syrup it sits in, and the mixture of kinako (roasted soy flour) with black sesame powder that accompanies it. Basically, it comes out as a bland, vegan jelly. His crystal kinako is composed of water and agar-an extract from seaweed-which makes a gelatinous substance without actually using gelatin. The tonkatsu restaurant’s manager Ryota Imai says that after he heard about this Japanese dessert, he felt compelled to learn how to make it himself. This sweet has been making waves stateside since it was featured earlier this year at Brooklyn’s food market Smorgasburg, but we’ve actually had a West Coast version right under our noses at Kimukatsu for the last year-and-a-half. And then there’s the hypnotic jiggle of the delicate bubble. The cake looks like a gigantic drop of water on a leaf, or it could easily be mistaken for a breast implant. But whatever you call it, it’s enchanting. The dessert, dubbed the “raindrop cake” in New York, “ mizu shingen mochi” in Japan, and simply “crystal kinako” here in L.A., has just about as many names as Daenerys Stormborn. This time it’s imported straight from Japan. ![]() * optional – since it’s summer, I think adding a bit of minty flavor to the raindrop cake really helps cool down the heat.There’s a new food trend sweeping the nation-and no, it doesn’t come in the form of an overplayed mash-up like the cronut.
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