Following from the cream and soy cream versions, these Minato Seika Daifuku took us back to the original with just anko or red bean paste. These were heftier, at 110 g rather than the usual 90 g, and around 6 cm in diameter and 2.5 cm in height.
Shiro Daifuku, a white mochi sheet surrounding a filling of koshian, or smooth red bean paste.
The mochi was thicker than in the cream daifuku, yet it worked here to offset the rich sweetness of the red bean, while its relative firmness provided a slight textural variation to the softness of the paste.
Aka Daifuku, a pink mochi sheet surrounding a centre of tsubuan, or chunky red bean paste.
I initially thought the mochi would get its colour from red shiso, but it seemed to be colouring as it’s same flavour as the previous daifuku. The chunky red bean paste gave a contrasting mouthfeel here while having a more pronounced savoury quality that brought out the ‘bean’ flavour of the azuki.
Kusa Daifuku, a yomogi, or mugwort, flavoured mochi surrounding a filling of tsubuan, or chunky red bean paste.
The sweetness in this daifuku sat in between the previous two, with the red bean paste retaining the chunky texture of the aka yet taking on the sweetness of the shiro, while being restrained by the gentle herbal flavour of the yomogi.
These Minato Seika Daifuku each contained 110 g. It was produced in Japan and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2022.